Ascent
by megers67
Summary: After waking up in a less-than-legal medical facility that tends to Musutafu's seedy underbelly, Present Mic discovers that there's a lot more going on than he initially thought - especially once he starts investigating the Bunker's mysterious founder. Cross posted from AO3
1. Chapter 1

The first thing that Yamada Hizashi noticed when he woke up was the dull throbbing pain in his chest and abdomen, and a general all-over soreness. That wasn't altogether surprising, given his profession as a pro hero - you get pretty banged up, though sometimes you take more lumps than others. Wait, why did he hurt?

Oh, right. He had been doing an undercover mission, to track down the kingpin of some local smuggling ring called the Lotus Group. You'd think that a pro hero and popular radio host with such a public personality would find it hard to go undercover, but that's not necessarily so. His look was so flamboyant that it was impossible to miss, loud enough to match his quirk. He was certainly energetic in his private life, even if all he had energy for right now was to assess his situation.

That enthusiasm and pizzazz was exaggerated in Present Mic, something he knew to moderate when necessary. It was pretty simple to step out of the Present Mic persona. All he had to do was wash the gel out of his hair and, in this case, dye it a darker brown, and put on a sleazy suit. Luckily he didn't have to shave his mustache off, but instead applied a larger fake one on top of it. He had been playing the part of a middleman for a potential buyer of stock.

On this mission, Hizashi had been relying on a man named Sone Junzo to help him on the inside. Sone had a memory quirk that allowed him to have perfect visual recall, ironic for a man whose own appearance was so average that it was easily forgettable. He wasn't a villain who operated on his own and preferred to support stronger personalities. As an informant, however, the easily-intimidated man was very valuable. Since the man was participating in this mission to avoid jail himself, he had incentive to assist Hizashi however necessary.

To his credit, he did everything correct, they were just unfortunately caught in the middle of a conflict between two rival factions in the organization while pretending to purchase stock for a third party. That would certainly go into his report when he was able to do so.

But that might not be incredibly soon as he gathered pretty quickly that he was in a medical facility of some kind.

The beeping of medical monitor was a pretty big clue (and meant that his hearing aids were undamaged). That then explained the wires and tubes he felt connected to his chest and right arm. He also felt a familiar cuff on his left wrist, a suppressor cuff that was standard in most hospitals. After all, some people had passive quirks that activated automatically or otherwise had little control when first waking up. Patients accidentally causing further injury to themselves or to medical staff wasn't exactly something the hospital wanted to allow if they could help it, thus suppressor cuffs.

But as he was becoming more aware of his surroundings, he knew something was definitely off. As his bed had him slightly elevated, he could take stock of the room around him. The room wasn't the pristine bright and sterile white he was used to in hospitals. Instead the walls were sparsely-decorated, dark grey concrete blocks. There were no windows, leaving the harsh fluorescent bulb above as the only light source. In fact, were it not for the medical equipment, he would think he was in a jail or dungeon of some sort.

Hizashi didn't have a great feeling about this.

He had the instinctual urge to sit up further but thought better of it. It was simple to assume that sitting up and bending his body in the exact area he had pain would make it worse. He could almost hear his husband, Aizawa Shouta telling him to stay down. So, he elected to groan, more in frustration than anything else. This got the attention of another figure that he hadn't realized was lying in a cot in the small room.

"You're awake!" It was Sone, rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up himself. The clock on the wall told the Voice Hero it was about four in the morning.

"Sone… where are we?"

"Well uh…." The man rubbed his hands together like he tended to do when he was nervous. "It's called The Bunker."

"What is The Bunker?" Hizashi had heard that name before from Shouta, but only over the past several months or so. It was apparently connected to the general seedy underbelly of society, but not an active participant in actual criminal activity as far as anyone was aware. Though it wasn't like any of his colleagues really knew what it was at this point in time. It was fairly low on the priority list, but since he was here, now might be a good time to look into it.

"So uh… when villains or vigilantes get hurt, they often don't really want to actually go to a hospital. They're afraid that they'll be reported to the police and arrested," Sone began. "So they come here instead."

"You're saying that we're in a villain hospital?" As a hero, that worried him because there was a decent chance that anyone he came across here would want his head on a pike the moment they knew what he did for a living.

The other man waved his hands defensively. "Not… not like that. It's more that they don't ask questions and take privacy and anonymity very seriously. They'll tend to your wounds no matter who you are. It's just that because of that, it tends to be frequented by uh..."

"By people who don't want to be known for whatever reason." As a public figure, Hizashi didn't really have that problem himself, but he could see the appeal of it for some more unscrupulous characters. He could walk anywhere and be welcomed easily. If he were wanted by the law, it would be a bigger risk.

Sone made a face like he remembered something. "I should probably let X-Ray know you're awake." He walked over and pressed a red button next to Hizashi's bed.

In less than a minute, the door to the room practically flew open to reveal a figure dressed in rumpled scrubs and wearing a mask designed to look like a mouse. The stranger was absolutely tiny to the point that Hizashi would swear they were a child. It was frustrating though that there were no identifying features to make out. Even the hair was covered by a hood from the mask, though a bump at the back made him think the hair was pulled up in a tight bun. The figure seemed to take a moment to evaluate the situation before releasing the tension in their shoulders, closing the door quietly, and putting down the medical kit they held.

"Yellow Guest, I thought I told you the difference between the normal call button and the _emergency_ call button." Despite the obvious voice modulation, Hizashi could hear the irritation in the medic's voice. They seemed to ignore Sone's mumbled apologies and approached the hero's bedside. "You can call me X-Ray. How is the pain?"

The hero thought about it. He didn't entirely trust the medic due to the situation he found himself in. Reasonably, he was on some sort of pain medication already and he didn't really like the idea of being further drugged up and not have his wits about him. Things could go south at any moment and he wanted to at least be able to understand what was going on.

"Manageable," he finally said.

X-Ray shrugged. "Suit yourself." They then placed their bare fingers on his wrist and stood there for a silent moment. "You are healing adequately. In addition to minor cuts and bruises throughout your torso, you came in with two broken ribs on your right side and internal bleeding. Luckily, while there was a lot of bleeding, it was a fairly minor tear and you should recover with no long-lasting side effects. However, I recommend rest even after discharge."

"Does your quirk tell you all of that?" It was clear that the medic didn't look at any of the wounds directly or even his vital signs on the monitor. They simply touched his wrist. It had to be a quirk.

"Yes." They didn't elaborate however, instead they gently set his wrist back down and went to the foot of the bed. They picked up what Hizashi surmised was the medical chart and began writing as they spoke. "We pride ourselves on privacy here and as such, we have rules that your guest will relay to you in more detail. You will be referred to as Yellow while you remain here as that is the color of your room."

They paused in their clearly-practiced speech to gesture to the door that Hizashi could see had a dull yellow color. "How much personal information you choose to reveal to other patients or guests is up to you, however, you are not to ask such information from them. You are only allowed to enter your own room here and the common room. Any time you are outside of your room, you are to wear a mask to protect your identity. Unisex bathrooms are located in the common room along with a kitchenette and tables. As a patient, you are to only eat what I or Test Tube provide to you as you are likely to have specific dietary restrictions as part of your treatment.

"You are free to leave at any time, however if I or Test Tube feel that you require further medical intervention, we will call emergency services on your behalf out of moral obligation. As you were not coherent upon your arrival, I must inform you that The Bunker is not a legally recognized medical facility and as such, personnel are not necessarily certified to perform complex medical procedures despite best intentions. As such, you may require more specialized care after leaving. Your guest has signed a waiver taking responsibility for your health in the event of complications or to make medical decisions on your behalf. Again, if you are uncomfortable with this, you can leave at any time."

X-Ray then dropped the professional tone. "Though in your particular case, the injuries and risk were minor enough that, while requiring immediate attention, were fairly simple to address. I don't foresee complications. But then again, I can't see the future. In the event of a medical emergency, you or your guest need to press the _red_ button here. For anything else you need, use the _yellow_ button." At that last instruction, they pointedly looked at an embarrassed Sone. "Do you have any questions?"

He shook his head no. It was a lot to take in, but that was likely because he was a bit tired. Not really in the way he would be if Recovery Girl had looked after him, but more from the notion that the only rest he had had in the last 24 hours were the few since he'd gone unconscious. He had had a long day and his body needed to rest.

"Very well, good night." X-Ray turned, picked up their medical kit from where they dropped it by the door, then left.

Hizashi waited until he was sure the medic had left before he spoke up again. "Sone, why did you bring me here instead of a real hospital?"

By this point the other man had sat back down on the cot. "Well… Our cover wasn't exactly blown. The Lotus Group has their own medical resources but I guess their boss doesn't like letting strangers have access to that so he told his guys to help me get you here instead. They'd be suspicious if I took you anywhere else."

That was fair. While he wasn't sure if the mission could continue, at least he had the peace of mind to know that it could if he wanted it to. That or have a reasonable excuse to put it on pause and come back to it later. It wouldn't be so abnormal for a middle-man like his character to choose to return home to recuperate before continuing on for his boss. He didn't want to seem too desperate, after all. Ah well, that was a decision for later after he discussed it with the rest of the investigation team. Now that he thought about that….

"Have you contacted the investigation team about our status or what happened at all? If I suddenly stop contact, they might think I've been compromised."

"Not yet. I was going to check in in the morning. I'll have to leave The Bunker to do it though because they don't allow cell phones to be used here. They don't want anyone recording anything."

The injured man sighed. "So I won't be able to use it here? Figures."

"Is there uh… anything you wanted me to say?"

"Not at this point, no. Just make sure not to say anything about the fact that we're undercover specifically. We have no idea if the Lotus Group will have someone watching out for you and we can't have them finding out about the mission."

Apparently, Sone didn't consider that possibility and paled, shaking his head as if trying to get the thought from his mind. "We uh… we should probably get some sleep."

Hizashi had to admit that that was the best course of action. On the one hand, he really wanted to explore this place since it was unlikely that he'd have a chance like this again, but his body certainly wasn't up to it right now. He was just going to have to sleep some of it off and hope he wasn't so sluggish tomorrow.

He'd be bored out of his mind if he was.

* * *

According to the clock, Hizashi woke up around 9 the next morning. As he put his hearing aids back in and his glasses on, he noticed that Sone wasn't in. The hero could only hope that his informant was just making a report and hadn't run out on him, but there wasn't much he could do here but wait. In the meantime, he was getting hungry and definitely needed something to eat. He made sure to hit the correct yellow button and didn't have to wait long before a knock announced the presence of someone at the door.

"Come in."

It certainly wasn't X-Ray who entered. This new stranger was taller and more obviously an adult woman, perhaps that was why she decided not to use a voice modulator like her coworker did. Other than that there was little he could work out since she was wearing a mask of similar style to her coworker's, but with a dog design instead.

"Good morning! You can call me Test Tube. How are we doing today?" She picked up his medical chart and jotted down what he could only assume were his vitals judging by the way she looked at the monitor a few times.

"Just a little hungry, but otherwise fine. How are you?" He had more energy this morning than when he had woken up last night. Obviously because he actually got to rest. It helped however that this new medic was more chipper than her coworker. Positive vibes are infectious, after all.

"I'm doing just fine, don't worry about me. I'll just check how you're healing real quick here and then I'll go get you something." With a light touch, she began removing bandages and nodding her approval. As she began replacing the bandages with new, clean ones, she continued speaking. "Since you had a repair to your gastrointestinal system, you're on a soft foods diet until you're healed. I can get some rice underway with some eggs, or if you're hungry now, we have some jelly packets I can give you to tide you over."

That made him snort a laugh and then immediately regret it when his ribs protested. He was very familiar with jelly packets after knowing Shouta since high school and even more so after they began dating. By the time they'd married, he could probably be considered an expert on the comparative taste and nutritional value of different brands. Though it was because of that he declined.

"I can wait."

"I'll get that started then. Oh! It said on your chart that you declined an increase in dosage for your pain medication. Are you still fine with that?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Works for me! Doesn't make much of a difference to me, really. Honestly, it's better than trying to wrestle with a pain killer addiction. Just don't push yourself too much. We don't want those stitches opening up. Just push the call button if you need anything else while I'm gone." With that she left and Hizashi was alone with his thoughts once again.

Her tone was almost a little too casual. It was clear though that she was far more experienced with bedside manner than X-Ray even after factoring in the fact that the hero had interacted with the more stern medic late at night. There was an ease to interpersonal interaction here. It was likely that Test Tube had, at least at one point, worked in a legitimate medical environment or had official training to do so. X-Ray, however no-doubt had medical knowledge but little by way of clinical experience. With that in mind, if he had to guess, X-Ray was likely a pre-med college student, probably female based on size alone. Even if they were a med-student hopeful, he couldn't find a motive for setting up a place like this at such a risk. Why?

Naturally, that meant that some good old-fashioned snooping was in order. But after breakfast.

It wasn't too long before Test Tube returned and was followed closely by someone wearing a yellow mask. Once the door was closed, the yellow mask came off to reveal Sone, back from his report. The man remained nervously silent until the woman dropped off Hizashi's rice and left.

"So I told them about what happened," Sone began as the hero started eating the bland meal. At least that remained consistent with all of his other hospital experiences. "While they're glad that we weren't compromised, they're pulling us off. They're going to try a different approach."

That was annoying in some ways, but a relief in others. After a week working this case, it'd be nice to see his family, wash this dye out of his hair, and sleep in his own bed again. It was also nice that that scuffle provided the perfect opportunity to bow out gracefully. The character wasn't compromised and can come in handy in some future investigation. Sweet.

"So I'm assuming they want me out of here pretty soon"

Sone nodded. "In a couple of hours. They wanted to get you ASAP, but just in case the Lotus Group is watching, they're waiting for a less suspicious time. They'll be picking us up at the bakery around the corner. A lot of people come in and out of there around lunch time so that's the best time to do it."

"Why the bakery?"

"I think they have an agreement with The Bunker. It's where most people get picked up or dropped off and where deliveries for supplies and equipment are sent. Good donuts too."

That made some amount of sense. It wasn't like a secret underground lair was going to have an officially recognized address. But in any case, he didn't have much time for investigating this place. Since there was no telling when he might be able to return, he'd have to make the most of this experience while he could. He already pulled what he could out of Sone, which honestly wasn't all that much besides the rules. Apparently he had only been here once before and he had spent most of that staying in his own room.

Hizashi was soon done eating and set his bowl aside. "I'm going exploring."

His informant spluttered. "A-Are you sure? I mean they said your injuries were relatively minor, but I don't think you should be walking yet."

"They've got to have wheelchairs, right?" Without waiting for a response, he hit the yellow call button, which meant a light knock shortly after.

"How was breakfast?"

The hero smiled and turned up the charm. Having something in his system was allowing him to feel more himself again. "Wonderful! Do you have any wheelchairs by chance? I think I'm getting too cooped up for my own good."

A short affirmation and a minute later, Test Tube was back with a simple wheelchair. Considering how sore he was getting into the thing, it was definitely a good idea he wasn't trying to walk right now. It made him appreciate Recovery Girl a lot more. Since her quirk sped up the healing process, he'd be up and about by this point. At the very least, he was mobile. His ribs weren't too fond of the movement in his arms, but it was tolerable.

He also had to wear that stupid mask. It really wasn't so much a mask as it was a bag made of heavy yellow fabric with more sheer fabric where the eyes would be. It was clear that it was meant to fit a large variety of head sizes and shapes. He didn't want to think about who else had worn it. Ugh. Well, it couldn't be helped. He made a mental note to take a thorough bath when he got home.

Sone was sitting on his cot by the time Hizashi was ready to go. "You uh… you don't need me with you, do you?"

He waved the man off. "No, but just open the door for me and come get me when we need to get ready to leave." It would be easier on his own without worrying about anyone else anyway.

The door was soon open and he was finally free to investigate. The hero felt glad to be doing something. He saw that the grey concrete blocks of his room carried throughout the entire facility. There wasn't much by way of decoration, though it wasn't like that was a major priority. As the place was underground, the only source of light came from the fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling and incandescent bulbs above the doors, but not all of them were lit.

Directly across the hall from his room were two doors, one labeled 'Operating Room' and the other labeled 'Supply.' To the right of the supply room was a counter that wrapped around a corner. Experimentally, he jiggled the handles, but they were predictably locked.

"Ah, you're one of the curious ones, aren't you?" Test Tube's voice made Hizashi jump. He turned to see her leaning over the counter, watching him carefully through that dog mask. "Did you want a tour?"

At least with the mask he didn't have to show his embarrassment about being caught so quickly. "That'd be nice."

The woman disappeared behind the counter only to emerge from the door. She took hold of the handles and pushed him down to the shorter end of the hallway, turning around so they would begin facing the rest of the facility.

"To our right, you will see the doors to our entryway. It's where patients and their guests check in and out and leads to the industrial elevator. It's our only way in or out of The Bunker so in case of an emergency, please assemble here. That room also has a staff door to our supply room so we don't have to go all the way around to attend to incoming patients."

She began pushing Hizashi slowly as she continued to speak in an affected tour guide voice. "Next is the supply room where we keep all equipment and medications. As we are not an officially recognized medical facility, our supplies can be limited, but we make do with what we can. Beyond the supply room where you can't see, is our utility room where we keep our generators. It takes a lot of power to keep a place like this running so it is arguably the most important room.

"Now, we have our operating room. It isn't much, but it's served us alright so far. We also have our testing equipment in there. X-Ray also keeps an audio recorder in there to take verbal notes while performing an operation since, naturally, their hands would be otherwise busy. It makes charting much easier.

"Along the left side, you will see all of the patient rooms. They're identical to yours except the door is a different color. Besides yourself, we only have two other patients at the moment. For obvious reasons, I can't give you more than that. The last one is actually our office. That just basically means that's where our filing cabinets are with our records. X-Ray spends the most time in there of the two of us since they handle the paperwork. I'm usually in charge of inventory so you can usually find me in the supply room."

Hizashi turned to look at the door quizzically. Like the other rooms he tried, he doubted that it would be unlocked, but those files seemed to be key. "I would have thought that you wouldn't have patient files considering the nature of this place."

"There aren't any names on them. When a patient enters, we assign them a number and treat the immediate medical problems as needed. If a patient tells us they've been here before, we go back and compare the descriptions and past injuries to our records to see if we can find a match, then add the records to the appropriate file. This way we can track different things from our end and see if there are any long-term or recurring conditions to look out for in specific patients. So far, those uses haven't been entirely necessary since we haven't been in operation very long."

That filing cabinet would be a gold mine as a record of lawbreakers in the area. Though the hero definitely acknowledged that that was absolutely an illegal invasion of privacy. The only records he could reasonably use were supply slips or other operational records. Patient confidentiality must be respected, even here.

He didn't have much time to dwell on it before he was whisked away to his next destination. "Last stop is our common room. Here you can socialize if there is anyone else here or just otherwise find ways to entertain yourself. We have cards and a couple of basic board games, but no tv, sorry. That takes up too much valuable power. The unisex bathrooms are accessible through here as well and there is also a kitchenette. Though that's off limits to you because you have a dietary restriction."

With practiced ease, she opened the door and pushed him through in one fluid motion. It wasn't a huge room, but large enough to fit a couch, two armchairs, and two tables. At one of the tables were two people wearing red masks while someone with a purple mask was lounging on the couch with a book. They all looked up at the sound of the door opening.

"Everyone, this is Yellow. This is his first time at The Bunker, so play nice!" She then left Hizashi, presumably to return to what she was doing before she caught him being nosy.

The man sat in his wheelchair for a moment, feeling all eyes on him before he waved congenially.

"So! What are you in for, Yellow?" one of the red strangers asked him in a high, squeaky voice.

He shrugged. "Wrong place, wrong time. Got a few broken ribs and some internal bleeding out of it though the tear itself was apparently pretty small."

She then jabbed a finger at her companion. "Red here managed to get a bad spider bite. Redback too. Nasty things."

"Since we're sharing," said the man wearing purple while still laying on the couch. His voice had an odd quality that Hizashi couldn't place. Likely some sort of mutation quirk was behind it. "My guy got drunk and decided that he could take Endeavor on. Surprise, surprise, he couldn't. The only reason he isn't arrested right now is because some other guy decided he wanted a piece of the action."

"I thought we weren't supposed to share potentially identifying information," Hizashi mused.

"Eh. Makes no real difference to me if that gets him found out. Then everyone could know he's a dumbass."

Red spoke up for the first time, also a man, but with a scratchy bass-baritone. "If he is who I think he is, everyone already knows that!" The three laughed at that before Red turned his attention back to the undercover hero. "Yellow, you know anything about shogi? I'm getting my ass handed to me here."

He wheeled himself over to the pair to take a look at the board between them. He actually was pretty good at the game. Sure, it wasn't like he could ever enter tournaments or hold a candle to those who really took the game seriously, but in most cases he didn't need to have quite _that_ much skill to perform well. Looking at the game in front of him, it was clear that Red was a complete novice, though Hizashi didn't exactly say as much. His opponent and friend seemed to know a little about shogi strategy and he even recognized a tactic she was using - or attempting to use as the formation was a bit off. He could likely defeat her pretty quickly if he wanted to, but he was at a crossroads. Hizashi wasn't sure if his character would be as successful.

With that in mind, he settled for playing a more reactionary game. Rather than setting up traps several moves ahead, he let the Red Guest set the tone and played a tighter game. The hero let it drag on a bit, engaging in idle conversation with both Reds as he did so. He discovered a few things about them here and there. For one thing, they were engaged to be married after being high school sweethearts. Even the man in the purple mask on the couch managed to put in his piece about marriage. Apparently the mask made it to difficult to really get into whatever book he had and eavesdropping was less frustrating.

Hizashi still won the game, but it was a much closer victory than he would have allowed had he taken it seriously. It seemed to work at least because his opponent simply shrugged.

"Can't win them all, I guess! Thanks - haven't had a good game like that in a while. Usually I have to stop to explain the rules 50 times. I swear, Red forgets every single game."

"Hey, I never said I was smart! I only have enough space in my brain for so much. There's not enough room for shogi."

The Purple Guest couldn't help but chime in "I bet that's not all-"

He was interrupted by the door opening, a yellow mask poked through. "Hey Yellow, we need to leave pretty soon." Sone left as quickly as he had come, the door slightly ajar behind him.

"Leaving already?" Red asked.

The undercover hero sighed as if he reluctant. It wasn't like he didn't like the group, they were just on opposite career paths. He had to admit that he was glad to be returning to the familiar, including more official healthcare. "My boss has his own guy. We don't have anything like this where I'm from and I don't think he quite trusts it. No offense."

"Must be nice to be rich enough for your own guy. Or to work for someone who is." There was a bitterness in the Purple Guest's voice as he turned away from the door.

Red Guest slouched sadly in her chair. "I keep forgetting there isn't anywhere else like this. What does anyone even do? I mean the normal guys like us?"

"The best they can, I guess." Hizashi began to wheel himself out and paused before he left the room. "Get well soon and congrats on your engagement." While he knew the world wasn't exactly black and white, shades of grey running between good and evil, talking with those three certainly humanized the common criminal in a way that wasn't often accessible to him in his position. He knew it was going to stick with him for a while yet.

When the hero returned to his room, he found Sone stripping the hospital bed of its sheets. "As the able-bodied guest," he explained as if he sensed his companion's question, "we have a few duties. There's only two staff members so if we at least get the room a head start it helps a lot. Your clothes are over on that table. Well, uh… except the shirt. They had to cut that up when you came in. But the jacket's still fine at least."

The Voice Hero decided that putting on pants while suffering from broken ribs was probably one of the most frustrating experiences of his life to this point. Top ten at least. He never fully appreciated how much bending was involved in the action and so it took some maneuvering to get the job done. By the time he managed to get that over with, Sone had stripped the bed and the cot, updated the stock lists in the cabinet, and was nearly done sweeping the small room.

"I just have a little bit left. You uh… ready to go?"

"Just about." Hizashi put on his jacket, and while he normally would have kept it open, that would be weird without a shirt on underneath.

Sone soon finished and wheeled the hero back into the hallway and through the doors to the entryway where Test Tube met them from the other side of the counter.

"Ready to discharge then? Just sign these for me real quick and I'll get your things." She took their masks and suppressor cuffs, then gave the injured man a clipboard and a pen before disappearing from view.

The form in his hands was simply an acknowledgement that he knew The Bunker wasn't an officially licensed medical facility and that by discharging, he was taking full responsibility for his continued recovery, etc. etc. It was actually pretty impressive for such a small operation. He could see why Musutafu's underbelly held it in high regard. They took themselves seriously.

The dog-masked medic soon returned with a bucket not unlike those used in the cubbies in preschools that contained his burner phone, wallet, a small bag with wads of cash, and a few other odds and ends along with Sone's things. She deliberately refrained from directly handing the items to them, but waited for them to collect them themselves. He was also given a copy of the form he just signed in addition to what he assumed were medical notes for whatever medical professional would be seeing to his care next.

"Alright, you two," she said as the returned the empty bucket to somewhere below the counter, "I'll send you up in the elevator. I don't trust you to walk yet, so you can just drop the wheelchair off at the bakery around the corner. They know what to do with it."

Hizashi gave her a genuinely warm smile. How wasn't she in a normal hospital? "How can I thank you?"

She laughed. "That's very sweet of you! If you really wanted, you can make a donation. We don't charge so it keeps the place going."

It wasn't like he could just sit there and _not_ give her one of the stacks of cash he had after that. After all, it would be too suspicious not to. Besides, he was always one to donate to charitable organizations, though a charity for criminals was definitely a first. Best to keep that quiet.

The elevator ride was a bit janky, but it got them to the surface in one piece. The pair were silent as they made their way to the bakery. There weren't too many people out, but those that were didn't seem to really care about their presence. Even still, the hero didn't let himself really breathe just yet. Anyone could be watching.

Just outside the bakery was a taxi, though nobody was inside. But when they approached, Tsukauchi, dressed as a taxi driver, exited the small corner building with a small melonpan in his hand.

"You caught me just in time, my break's over. Looks like you two could use a ride."


	2. Chapter 2

"I will say this," Recovery Girl began as she tossed her gloves into the bin, having finished her examination of her charge. The situation was highly unusual so she made sure to be as thorough as she could to make sure that everything had been done safely. "Whoever treated you was thorough and precise, even if they were self-taught."

"Self-taught? Is it really that easy to tell?" Yamada Hizashi's voice was slightly muffled since he was putting his shirt back on. It was a meticulous process since he was still sore, but at least after a round of Recovery Girl's healing kiss it was far less painful than it was when he left the Bunker. One more session and he'd be good as new.

"It is if you've been doing this as long as I have." There was a smirk in her eyes. "The techniques and methods used are not _incorrect _, so-to-speak, but they are a bit outdated. Even then, they're not executed in a way you'd expect to see. I'd wager that they were never shown how to perform these procedures and based their work off of written descriptions and pictures."

"So it would be as if they were looking at an older textbook for reference rather than hands-on instruction?"

The elderly hero nodded. "That's one possibility." She picked up the paperwork that Yamada was given when he left that unlicensed medical facility. "These notes are very detailed. Every action taken to treat you was documented, even the ones that weren't really necessary to write down. They clearly haven't been taught what information they need or don't need to report so they are going overboard to cover their bases."

Hizashi took the papers for closer inspection. He hadn't given himself the opportunity to really review them before. He usually got motion sickness if he tried to read anything in a moving vehicle and he wasn't exactly in the mood to really deal with that on their way back to UA. The written notes had crisp handwriting as if they were made to be as legible as possible. They were even color-coded for added clarity. The Voice Hero couldn't really say anything one way or another about their actual contents as medical sciences weren't exactly his area of expertise, but there certainly seemed to be a lot here for what little work had been done on him. He could only imagine how much there'd be for more complicated cases like that poor sap who apparently tried to tussle with Endeavor.

"If you want my opinion," Recovery Girl said after she had given him a minute with the paperwork. "I think this is a college student, one eager for medical school but hasn't gotten there. I can't say if it's because they haven't reached that point yet or if they didn't get in for whatever reason. Either way, this could be dangerous. Good intentions or no, there's a reason we don't allow people to perform medical procedures without a license. Since this Bunker is underground, we can't track anything to keep them accountable for their mistakes and avoidable deaths."

"That's what I've been thinking too. I get why villains and vigilantes like the service. It's discrete and asks no questions while not charging for their work. Their patients are scared of the visibility of hospitals and are apparently willing to risk their lives for it. For their safety, the Bunker really needs to be shut down and fast. Even though they don't charge right now, that doesn't mean that can't change in the future. Besides, the longer this place is operational, the larger the chance that someone else will see the business potential in additional facilities like it. We can't let that happen."

The older hero squinted at him for a long moment in suspicion. "You've already got your mind set on investigating this, don't you?"

The blond couldn't help but shrug with a smile. He was too obvious. "My agency told me to take it easy, but I can't help it! It's grabbed my attention. It's not every day that you stumble upon a mysterious criminal support organization. How can I refuse a challenge like that? I won't be officially investigating, but I'll be looking into it."

Recovery Girl looked like she wasn't entirely supportive of this move, but acknowledged that she couldn't do much to stop it. Once Present Mic set his eye on something, he was going to do what he could to achieve it to the best of his ability. Besides, she couldn't exactly argue against his sense of urgency in this case. "You're free to go, but I'm medically advising you to be careful. I don't want to see you here again over this."

Yamada stood and waved as he walked out the door. "You know me! I'll be fine!"

It wasn't exactly reassuring, but what else was new? Heroes never change.

Now that he was cleared, he started towards the faculty lounge to wait for Shouta. Mic's classes were being covered by Nezu since he wasn't expected to be back yet, his mission originally scheduled to last a few more days. While he had the rest of the day off to recover, he would likely be put back to work tomorrow. Ah well. His husband didn't have that sort of luxury and had been in classes all morning that prevented them from reuniting just yet. Hizashi was hoping to surprise him in the lounge, but the moment came sooner than expected. When he rounded the corner, Shouta was already walking in his direction, ostensibly to meet the blond in Recovery Girl's office.

"EEEEEEEEEEraser!" It wasn't necessary to call out his name to grab his attention; they'd already seen each other. Hizashi just wanted to show he had more than enough energy to embody his boisterous persona. He was okay. He will be fine.

The dark-haired man's shoulders dropped the tension they'd been carrying at the greeting. "Mic, I was just getting used to the silence around here," came the dry quip in return.

Soon they were face to face and Hizashi could see restrained relief in his husband's eyes. Shouta was never one to initiate public displays of affection at the school as Eraserhead was a persona that had a stern reputation to uphold. Luckily, Present Mic was a character that wasn't concerned with such things and draped himself dramatically over the darker man. It was met with an affected begrudging tolerance.

"Eraser, you wouldn't _believe _the week I had!"

"I heard, but they wouldn't give me any real details. What did you get yourself into this time?"

Mic beamed. "I'll tell you if you take me to lunch, just the two of us."

Eraser raised a brow. "Our meals are comped here and frankly they're better quality than anywhere else close by."

"Then it sounds like I'm a cheap date! Lucky you!" He batted his lashes to tease his companion.

Outsiders might have interpreted Eraser's silence to mean that he was considering whether to entertain this proposal, but Hizashi knew better. Shouta knew that his desire to have lunch just the two of them indicated that he wanted to talk about this privately and without interruptions as soon as possible. He would be figuring out a spot for that and how to grab lunch without drawing attention. If people knew Present Mic was back before they had their talk, they wouldn't be able to have the time to discuss anything until at least after school.

"Alright, fine." Aizawa said as he apparently came to a decision. "Follow me."

* * *

They now remembered why they didn't really use this hiding spot anymore. Two fully grown, athletically-built men, each six feet tall had somehow managed to cram themselves into a too-small supply closet. While Hizashi was on the floor with his knees to his chest, Shouta was sitting on an upturned bucket with his legs propped straight up the wall. Both had bento boxes prepared by Lunch Rush on their laps.

The raven-haired man was patiently listening to Hizashi talk about what happened, only interrupting to keep him from investing too much time in irrelevant side tangents. Shouta was well-versed in keeping him on track.

"So the Bunker is a medical facility? Hmm." Shouta was tapping his chopsticks to his lips in thought. "So what's your plan of action?"

"Well the good news is that Tsukauchi tentatively gave me the go-ahead for a preliminary fact-finding mission since I'm in a good position for it. Not only have I been there, but my cover was never blown-"

"You're not going back in there," Aizawa insisted through a mouth full of food.

Yamada raised his hands defensively. "No, no I know! All I meant was that I have a character who can go around asking questions without raising suspicion. But I won't go that route unless I have to, Sho. I have every intention of doing this from a distance. Phone calls, data spreadsheets, following money around, you know… all that boring stuff you _hate _." The blond couldn't help but tease his husband who had always much preferred a more hands-on approach. He himself was flexible.

"You haven't touched your food because you've been talking. Eat."

"Fine, as long as you fill me in on what I've missed since I've been out."

* * *

Hizashi wanted to surprise Eri by picking her up today from school, something that neither he nor his husband had the luxury to do most days since UA let out a bit later than the elementary schools in the area. Since he had the rest of the day off, he had a few hours before he needed to leave so it was the perfect opportunity to get some research done. He knew where the Bunker was, so it wasn't like he needed to figure that part of it out. The important intel was discovering the people involved and any potential crimes that go into an operation like this.

Most of the time, the best place to start would be the owners of an operation's building, but this was an exception. Based on his impressions of the place, it was a location that had been forgotten about and its current occupants were squatters. There was nothing even remotely official about it, hidden away like it was, so the chances of being able to find any records for it were slim-to-none.

The bakery, however, was something he could work with. Sone had told him that there must be some agreement between it and the Bunker since all of its deliveries run through the place, almost acting like an official address. That was as good a place as any to start. His search didn't pull up anything on the business itself, at least nothing that ever made the news or other official reports. The hero wasn't really expecting that though. For an operation like the Bunker, associating with a business that stood out wouldn't be good practice. Really, he needed to look for any criminal connections for anyone involved with the bakery.

Based on what he could find online, the business was family owned and operated and with the way the building looked to be set up, they likely lived in the apartment just above. Excellent. That gave him a family name to search through the criminal database and then an address to filter results.

Didn't take long to find a match.

Watari Shotaro, age 21, arrested a few times for petty theft and other minor charges. Hm. It seemed like a big leap to go from things like that to something as serious as the Bunker. There were a lot of situations that could cause that kind of behavior, but it wasn't like he had much details on the circumstances. The young man wasn't currently in jail, but he had a parole officer. They'd be able to give him some information. Soon the hero was on the phone.

A tired woman answered. "This is Musutafu Parole Assistant Services, Saeki speaking. How can I help you?"

"This is Present Mic," he began. While he tended to prefer to use more unassuming characters for investigative phone calls, when calling others in the criminal justice system, his hero name always got him much further than anything else. "I am doing a preliminary fact-finding investigation and I had some questions about one of the parolees under your supervision."

A defeated sigh came from the officer. "Oh no, not Murai again? I'm sorry about this, we're trying to work with him, but nothing seems to stick with him."

"Actually, this is about Watari Shotaro."

"Oh!" She sounded genuinely surprised. "He's one of my better ones. What did you need to know?"

"Just a basic history. The official record doesn't give me much more than the charges."

"Right. He's really a sweet kid, he's just impressionable and not very bright. I get a lot of people in here who claim to have just fallen in with the wrong crowd, but he's one of the few who I legitimately believe on that front. He's got a shrinking quirk so he can shrink objects for about an hour. Because of that, some of his peers roped him into assisting them with some thefts in their late teens by telling him it was for the greater good in some way. He always admired heroes and just wants to help the community.

"He had a near-death experience about six months ago and I think that really made him realize that his group of friends weren't really there for him. They just abandoned him. Luckily a passerby helped him long enough for the ambulance to get there and he cut ties with those former friends. Watari got a reduced sentence for cooperation in convicting the others and has since started a legitimate courier business that as far as I know seems to be doing alright."

"What kinds of things does he move?"

Saeki thought for a moment. "As far as I know, he will move just about anything that needs to be moved. A lot of times it's something as small as food deliveries, but often he moves old equipment to the dump or recycling centers that the usual services can't take or even to other businesses. Things like fryers or ovens. Because of his quirk, he can fit just about anything into a shoebox and bike where he needs to go. The time limit keeps it pretty local though. You don't think he's moving anything illegal, do you?"

Mic was too busy taking notes and almost missed the question. "It's too early to tell, but I don't think so. It's possible that his courier service is being taken advantage of by someone. The packages themselves aren't contraband as far as I'm aware, but would just be used for illegal purposes."

"Present Mic, should I get him to pause his work? I don't want him accidentally getting mixed up into something again." She seemed genuinely concerned over the young man.

"No, not yet." Hizashi made sure that he used a calming tone to ease her nerves. "We are nowhere near ready to make any moves and we don't want to spook our real targets by acting too early. Knowing that his service has the capacity to move these materials can also help our investigation and he could be an informant again if he even is actually involved at all. But again, it is far too early for that. I'm just looking for potential connections and leads."

The officer didn't sound entirely convinced, but wasn't as nervous as before either. "Alright. Please keep me updated if you find anything I need to know about or if I can help you further. I'll also let you know if I happen upon anything on my end now that I know there's a possibility of something to look out for."

"My many thanks. Have a good day!" He always made sure to end on a cheery note. Saeki echoed the sentiment, if less enthusiastically, and hung up on him.

He wasn't sure how knowledgeable Watari would be about this. He clearly had the means to move things around from medical waste and pharmaceuticals to larger equipment items. It was very possible that X-Ray or Test Tube saved him and they were using that fact to manipulate him into helping them. But it was just as likely that he was a far more willing participant who wants to show his gratitude in some way. The man didn't sound like some criminal mastermind however, and larger nefarious plans seemed unlikely. The couriers always seemed to be unwitting pawns to larger criminal plots.

But that was only one of many pieces to this puzzle. There was still a lot of research to do.

* * *

The time ticked by and soon an alarm Hizashi had set on his phone went off. Finally, he could take a well-deserved break. He stretched his back and legs with a groan for sitting in one position for too long. Yeah, that was enough of that for now. Besides, he had to leave to go pick up Eri. The thought of seeing her surprise brought a wide smile to his face.

He was so proud of how far she'd come these past couple of years. It took a lot of hard work with plenty of ups and downs. She was still on the shy side at school and preferred the company of older kids than her peers, but that was likely because she lived at a high school. She did have a few friends, something that both he and Shouta were incredibly thankful for. When their girl first started school, they were really concerned how she'd take to it. It had been a rough start, but they were thankfully through the other side. There were still hurdles of course as would be natural considering her trauma, but she was making excellent progress.

The man decided to take the train today and actually take the time to be leisurely. Between his radio show, hero work, and teaching job, he couldn't remember the last chance he had time to just slow down. Of course, he was never one to just do nothing; he always had to be doing _something _. However it was nice when those somethings could be as casual as picking your daughter up from school.

As a hero he stood out, but once he let his hair down, traded his sunglasses for square horn-rimmed glasses, and ditched the tight leather, he was as normal as any of the parents here waiting for their kids. He engaged in idle chit-chat about the kids with the rest of them, lamenting about how hard it could be to try to remember how to help with homework, what clubs their kids were in, sports or art they were proud of, just overall gushing about the children. He didn't have to wait long for the bell to ring. Since they were only in elementary school, clubs only met once a week so it wasn't long before the kids came streaming out.

With the amount of kids out and about, it was difficult trying to spot Eri in the crowd. Turns out, he didn't have to. She found him first.

"DADDY! You're back early!" The small body launched at him and almost toppled him over.

"Oof!" Sure he was fine to be up and about, but he still had some seriously bruised ribs. He tried not to let it show, but she was sharp as a tack and pulled back immediately.

"You got hurt! Is that why you're back?"

"Can't hide anything from you, can I, Eri-chan?"

The small girl huffed and folded her arms. "You promised you wouldn't!"

"I promised I would _try _not to get hurt, but sometimes things happen beyond my control." Yamada smiled warmly, but he knew that his daughter was completely unconvinced. "Could I make it up to you if we got ice cream?"

The girl's expression instantly returned to excitement again. "Ice cream?"

Oh he was absolutely wrapped around her little finger. He wouldn't have it any other way. "Yes! Let's go!"

He took her hand and they started walking down the street. Between the school and the train station there was a small ice cream shop that took full advantage of the location. It was no wonder that its busiest time of day was right after the elementary school let out. The shop specialized in using cookies, pretzels, fruit, and candy pieces to make animals out of the ice cream cones. They were really adorable. Tasty too.

When they arrived, they had gotten there just before the larger rush so they didn't have to wait long. "What do you want, Eri-chan?"

"Can I have a bunny in strawberry, please?" Like most little girls, Eri's preferences came and went. A few months ago she had a pretty intense panda phase, but now she seems to have moved toward rabbits. It was sometimes difficult to find gifts because by the time they got something for her, she had moved on. At least they could rely on cats and unicorns. Cats always reminded her of Shouta and she personally identified with unicorns.

Hizashi smiled and ordered the bunny for her and a matcha bear for himself. Naturally they had to have a selfie with their ice cream as soon as they got them and he immediately sent it to his husband. He normally got a vanilla cat.

He waited patiently for her to finish her pink bunny before engaging in conversation. "So, how was school today?"

She shrugged. "The same I guess. Hanako wasn't feeling well so I stayed inside with her instead of going outside for recess."

"Well, that was very nice of you!"

She beamed. "Yeah! Besides, it was too hot so I didn't want to be outside anyway. Oh! Meiko was annoying again." Eri's face seemed to scrunch itself as a means of emphasis.

"Uh-oh, what did she do this time?" Meiko and Eri weren't on the best of terms. It wasn't like the other girl was bullying his daughter, but the two definitely did not see eye-to-eye. He had never met the child or her parents personally, but according to Eri, she was pretty entitled and stuck-up, even if she didn't say it in so many words. Their homeroom teacher had been doing a good job monitoring the situation and keeping Hizashi and Shouta up-to-date.

"Meiko kept saying that Midnight was a bad hero!" She exclaimed, upset.

Now it was the blond's turn to frown. Midnight, or Nemuri as he knows her, is a really good family friend. Honestly, she is one of Eri's main female role models who adored looking after her. "Why would she say that?"

The girl huffed. "She said that Midnight dresses really trashy and isn't a good example or something."

"It sounds to me like Meiko is just repeating things her parents said." Honestly it wasn't anything he hadn't heard before. This controversy has been around since Midnight first went pro.

"And then she kept saying that I was lying when I tried to tell her what she's _really _like! Why doesn't she ever believe me? I'm not a liar!"

The hero took a few moments to decide how he wanted to address this. "Eri-chan, you know how I act really different when I'm in my Present Mic costume than I am at home?"

"Yeah."

"Well, a lot of heroes are like that. Their personality as a hero can be really different from how they really are. Not many people see that side of them. You're special because you know quite a lot of heroes like that, but most people only know how heroes are when they're working. A lot of times, they forget that heroes are people just like they are."

"I know! That's why I was trying to tell her what Midnight is really like! But why would she think I'm lying?"

"I don't know specifically why she doesn't believe you," Yamada began carefully. "There are a few possibilities I can think of. Maybe she thought that when you first came to the class, that you were making up stories to get attention."

"But it's the truth!"

"I know, sweetheart, I know. But your story is so rare that it might be hard for people to believe. Another possibility is that she really does believe you, but she's jealous that you know all of these heroes and either wants other people to think you're lying or is trying to convince _herself_ that you're lying to make herself feel better. Or maybe she just has this idea of what certain heroes are like and hearing something that contradicts that completely changes her opinions about them. Sometimes people get really uncomfortable when heroes aren't how they thought they were and would rather refuse to admit that they were wrong in the first place just so they can keep believing that hero is how they think they are."

"Well, that's dumb."

"It really is. Unfortunately, some people are just like that. No matter how many times you try to correct them, they will insist that they're right. They will never believe that they're wrong and there's nothing you can do about it."

Eri pouted like she usually did when she was thinking about something. "So what _do _I do about it?"

Hizashi smiled apologetically. "Well, it's a waste of time trying to convince them so it's best to just ignore it. I know it can be really hard, but it's more frustrating trying to argue. If the result is going to be the same, it's best to go with the option that will be less stressful for you."

His daughter didn't seem pleased with the response, but seemed to accept it. "Okay…."

"How about we get your father something? I bet he's jealous that we got to have ice cream." He hoped that the change in subject would cheer her up. It worked like a charm.

"Oh! Can we get him a cat cone?"

"Well, the ice cream will probably melt before we can get it to him, but there's a candy store nearby. Why don't we get him something from there?"

"Like that black licorice? Ew!" She made a face at the thought.

Yeah, he had no idea why Shouta liked that stuff. Maybe because he knows that nobody will eat it and he could have it all to himself. "Yeah, it's pretty gross. But we can shape it like a cat when we give it to him. He would really like that."

The girl was practically bouncing up and down now. "Yeah let's go!" Her mood had made a complete 180 from what it was moments before. She hopped down from her chair and grabbed her backpack then practically dragged her dad out of his chair. "Come on!"

He couldn't help but laugh as he followed her out. "Okay, okay! Let's make the cutest cat he's ever seen!"

* * *

It had been a few days since Hizashi began his investigation and he'd reached a kind of standstill. He'd achieved just about as much as he could using only public records, criminal records, and phone calls without meeting anyone in person. There were a few leads that were frustratingly out of his reach. Turns out that medical equipment was easier to get a hold of than he would have thought. Apparently there was a lot of medical surplus around as hospitals keep upgrading when a new model came out on the market. Perfectly usable machines were disposed of and ripe for the picking. Though it seems that some companies asked fewer questions of their buyers than others.

The pharmaceutical company that the Bunker used was more or less identified, but if he poked his nose around them too much, the hero was afraid that it'd spook them before he would be able to actually do anything about it. If they got defensive about their activities, the Bunker would surely follow. Since he didn't have true investigative authority, he was pretty much stuck.

Tsukauchi still hadn't yet been able to secure official status to the case. His superiors considered a medical facility that had a six-patient capacity to be pretty low on their priority list and didn't want to divert resources in that direction just yet. It wasn't like they failed to understand the potential implications, but at this present time, there were other issues that were more immediately harmful to the public. That was fair, Hizashi supposed. Didn't make it any less frustrating though.

So when he was called in as backup for a villain attack while on patrol, it was actually a welcome break. It would get him out of his own head for a few hours and clear his mind from this problem by working on another. When he arrived, it was clear that joining the fight himself would be a bad idea. Heroes and villains were crowded together in some sort of crude brawl in the middle of a series of apartment buildings. If he used his quirk for combat, there would be much collateral damage, both in the surrounding buildings and to allies.

Some of the heroes looked like they were trying to evacuate survivors, but kept getting interrupted by a villain. Luckily, this was something that Present Mic could take care of. Using his quirk, he was loud enough to be heard over the cacophony before him, making sure to angle the direct blast up into the sky so as to not actually hit anything.

"HEY LISTENERS! IF YOU ARE IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING, EXIT IN AN ORDERLY FASHION IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO. BE SURE TO HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS WHO ARE HAVING TROUBLE MOVING! NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT TO MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDS!"

One of the villains who had a quirk that turned his arms into heavy clubs tried to take a swipe at him, but Mic evaded then made sure to continue his announcement towards his opponent's face. "LISTENERS SHOULD RETREAT TO A SAFE DISTANCE! HOW ABOUT AROUND THE BLOCK? AND IF ANYONE HAS ANY EXPERIENCE WITH FIRST AID, YOUR HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!"

The effect was immediate and the villain fell to his knees in pain, clutching his bleeding ears. The opening gave Kamui Woods the opportunity to restrain him securely. This meant that the Voice Hero could continue coordinating the evacuation efforts. It was careful work, moving people around the buildings to avoid the fight as much as possible. He carved out a path that was as safe as possible and luckily once people were on it, others were able to follow. Every so often he had to personally carry someone who was too old or injured to traverse the uneven terrain. When Mic could, he got other civilians to help out so he could monitor the line as much as possible.

As he was shepherding people, he noticed that someone had set up a first aid station of sorts across the street. It was a bit closer than he'd personally recommend because of the risk of shrapnel or debris, but at least it wasn't immediately in front of the complex. It was growing, both in terms of volunteers and victims. The volunteers seemed self-organized and ranged from the elderly tending to the wounded to children acting as messengers or carrying small supplies around. There was even a girl with light pink hair in a high school uniform who was meeting those who were visibly injured as soon as they cleared the immediate danger to escort them to the first aid station.

As things were winding down on his end with fewer and fewer evacuees, something particularly caught his eye. He noticed that whenever the high school girl dropped someone off, she quickly wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to them before going to collect another victim. The blond was broken from his momentary curiosity by a cry for help. Damn! The route had been cut off by some debris.

He quickly made his way over to the last group of survivors who had been stranded and began redirecting them onto another path. It wasn't as safe as the original route, but since this was the last group of survivors, it just needed to last long enough for them to get through. The concern wasn't so much on the ground below, but the overhang from the building above. The fight had significantly weakened the structure and while it wasn't immediately threatening to topple onto them, the conditions could change at any moment.

Just as they were almost clear, a large chunk of the ceiling came loose. It would have hit one of the civilians had Mic not shoved them out of the way. Unfortunately, speed wasn't the hero's strong suit and he got his leg caught instead. He gasped in pain, knowing that his shin was crushed. The survivors were understandably spooked and had bolted before any of them had noticed that their savior had been hurt. That was fine. It wasn't their job to worry about those kinds of things.

Okay he needed to get out of here. That ceiling chunk wasn't a good sign and staying here too long was just inviting something worse to happen. He braced himself to shove the concrete off of him when a voice stopped him.

"Don't do that until you're ready to move! That weight could be keeping you from bleeding out."

Surprised, the Voice Hero turned his head to see that high school girl approaching him with a first aid kit, close enough that he could see the scars on her face. He tried to warn her away.

"Hey little listener! It's too dangerous to be over here. Go back to the first aid station."

As if to emphasize his point, a loud explosion and its accompanying shock wave abruptly threw her to the ground, causing her to land among broken glass. She instinctively caught herself with her hands, but that meant they saw the brunt of the resulting damage. The girl sat up carefully and after a moment's reflection, she continued towards Present Mic and didn't acknowledge her bleeding palms.

The hero made his voice more stern. "Look, it's too dangerous for civilians. You need to leave before it's too late."

She promptly ignored him and touched his wrist with her fingers. A flicker of surprise crossed her face so quickly that the man wasn't sure if he really saw it. It was gone too soon for him to evaluate.

"You've got a comminuted fracture to your right tibia and an oblique fracture to your fibula. Your knee and foot are heavily bruised, but there are no real injuries."

Wait… no it can't be! The coincidences were impossible to dismiss. The way she figured out his injuries without looking at the damage directly, her size, the way she carried herself, the fact that it really wasn't too far from the Bunker.

X-Ray was a _high school student?! _This changes _everything _.

He watched as X-Ray pulled a roll of duct tape from her kit and attempted to clumsily apply it to her own hands. Oh, she must be trying to remove the glass shards. Tape was far faster than trying to pluck them out one-by-one with tweezers.

It couldn't be avoided. He wasn't in a position to prevent her from helping him so he would be forced to let her. She needed her hands to help him and she wasn't going to be able to use them like this. "Here, let me." Mic took the roll from her and made quick work of it, applying the strips to her skin and quickly pulling any foreign material away. She didn't even flinch. He made a move to reach for the bandages before dislodged dust above made the both of them shield their eyes. This building wasn't going to last much longer.

"Present Mic, I can't carry you," the girl said suddenly. "Your leg is too broken, the terrain too rough, and you're too big. I can't get you out of here."

"Hey, that doesn't matter. Don't worry about me, just get-"

"But if your leg was fine, _you_ could carry _me_, couldn't you?"

The Voice Hero was taken aback by the question, but nodded. "Yes, but I don't see how-"

"No time." The teen removed Mic's gloves, grabbed the roll of bandages and began quickly wrapping the man's palms. It was odd since she was the one whose hands were bleeding. Before he could protest, she was making a splint out of materials lying around them and… applied it to _her _right leg? Again, not the correct injury.

"What are you doing?"

She sat on the ground next to him and kept her splinted leg outstretched before her. "You owe me for this."

The girl then fully took his hand and squeezed it. It was like a wave of some kind of energy slowly rolled over him, starting with the connected hands and radiating outward. His hand stung like hell and the other soon followed. The wave moved down and as it approached his leg, X-Ray bodily shoved the concrete off of it. For a moment, there was a blinding and agonizing pain from the motion, but it was swiftly replaced by a feeling he couldn't describe. He looked down expecting to see heavy damage, but was instead met with the sight of his leg mending itself. It was as if he was watching a fast-forwarded video of his leg healing.

He almost missed a soft whimper beside him that forced him to look at her. The girl's face was contorted in pain, but it was clear that it was something that she had been through before. She was quietly keeping her breathing in check with practiced ease. It didn't take long for Mic to notice why. Just as his leg was healing, hers was breaking. The dark shape of her tights on her right leg showed her leg was twisting and bending in an unnatural way, even with the makeshift splint. She somehow took his broken leg from him. Was this X-Ray's quirk?

The moment he felt the wave reach his foot, she let go of his hand and reached for the first aid kit. She took out a bottle of pain medication and swallowed a few of the pills dry. He knew that there was no way that they would be at all sufficient for the injury she now had, but she had to have known that. His hands now hurt like a bitch, but they were nowhere near as bad as the leg had been, so he wasn't going to bother asking for any himself.

A loud rumble above them brought him out of his reverie. There was no time to test out his leg. They needed to get out. Now. Quickly, he scooped up the injured teen who cried out in pain at the sudden jostling, and barely made it out of the way before the balcony a few floors above crashed onto the ground where they'd just been. It wasn't much work to make it back to the first aid station where he dropped her off to be treated. As much as he wanted to stay and question her, there was still a situation to resolve.

* * *

Damn, damn, damn! It had taken a while for the battle to finally cease. Fights don't usually last nearly that long, but one of the villains apparently had a quirk that could increase the stamina of others and so prolonged the whole affair. But at the end of the day, they finally got all of the villains restrained and arrested. Present Mic got to make his report and was at last able to return to the first aid station. Unfortunately, the injured, pink-haired, high school girl was nowhere to be seen.

It was the same story from everyone. She had been a big help by streamlining the triage process, but she left just after they put a sturdier splint on her leg. And nobody was able to catch her name. She had just disappeared.

On the bright side, he knew where she would have gone. The Bunker would be the only place she'd be able to get a proper cast in secret. He already had a location, he now had her face, all that was left was her name and he was determined to find it.


	3. Chapter 3

_ There were worse ways to spend the morning. _ Present Mic thought to himself as he drank tea. _ This chocolate cornet was actually pretty good. Too bad this is a stakeout and not a time to just enjoy this. _

The little Watari Bakery wasn't exactly high-end, but it wasn't a run-down den of villainy either. It was just a quiet little neighborhood place. Unfortunately, that meant that nearly everyone here was sure to be a regular. Any newcomer was sure to stand out. So to acknowledge and explain his presence, the pro hero was wearing a sort of hipster disguise. He hated this disguise because he felt like such a creep in it. But it was the only one he had on hand that could reasonably get away with suddenly showing up. He felt gross saying something pretentious about the atmosphere of the place or whatever when he first walked in.

The disguise also gave a ready explanation for his notebook. This was a case where documentation was critical. His notes were, of course, in code so that if any passers by wanted to be nosy, they would only see a harmless, cheesy novel. Just next door was his true target, the Bunker. Tucked into a space too small to be an empty lot but too large for a true alleyway was the nondescript entrance to a small medical facility. It was underground in both senses of the term. It had been a shelter dating back to around the time fear of quirks was at its peak, built several meters below the paved surface. While it had been apparently abandoned and forgotten for decades, the current occupants were using it as an unregistered clinic catering to residents of Musutafu who were desperate enough to be unbothered by the less-than-legal activity.

Based on Yamada Hizashi's cursory research, this bakery was being used as some sort of go-between. A place where supplies and "patients" could be covertly dropped off or picked up. What was unknown was whether the cooperation between the two establishments was merely the actions of one employee, or if it was more entrenched than that. Anyone here could be in on it in some way.

Though at least one regular wasn't. When Hizashi approached the Chief of Police about getting backup in case things went south, Umeda's name came up. Apparently, she had been coming here since she moved to the area two years ago. That made things easier since her presence wouldn't be abnormal, no need to bring in anyone new to have on his side.

She also gave him valuable intel. Mic asked about the pink-haired teen he'd met recently as he had suspected that she was one of the Bunker's workers, X-Ray. Unfortunately, it seems that Umeda didn't know much about the girl as they hadn't had a conversation before. It was confirmed however that the teen was actively attending one of the local high schools and did homework at the same table every afternoon. On Sundays, however, she came in in the mornings. Presumably because she didn't have any classes. She was quiet and kept to herself so little more could be said, but it meant that she had a predictable schedule. Predictable enough for Mic to orchestrate a _ serendipitous _meeting.

So far, the plan was going smoothly, Hizashi chose to use the restroom during a busy point in the morning so that upon his return, his table would already be occupied again. Excellent. That would give him an excuse to walk around. He saw that Umeda was in position and watching. Time to execute the next phase of the operation. The undercover hero passed by the teen's table and 'dropped' his pen. Sure, it wasn't exactly original, but sometimes the classics were just as effective.

"Oh! Sorry about that, miss. My pen rolled under your chair. Do you mind grabbing it for me?"

Before looking up, the girl bent down and fished around for the writing utensil. There was no recognition when she first saw him, but when skin contact was made during the pen hand-over, surprise crossed her scarred face before it was quickly masked by a neutral expression. It was likely her quirk that allowed her to easily see through the disguise. A wig is one thing, but a person's unique set of scars was something difficult to hide or replicate. It didn't matter to the hero, however. She was the one person who he actually _ wanted _ to recognize him.

"Here," she said flatly.

"Thanks! Someone special gave it to me so I didn't want to lose it."

The pink-haired girl turned back to the book she was reading in a quiet and disinterested dismissal typical of any teenager.

"Hey," Hizashi continued, undeterred. "Do you mind if I sit here? I seem to have lost my spot."

She glared at the man before looking around the bakery to find that the only available seats were tables with other occupants. "I try not to share my table with strangers," she said after thinking for a moment.

Mic responded so quietly that only the girl could hear. "Then it's a good thing we're not strangers, X-Ray." It was a delicate balance to strike: welcoming to invite conversation, but also imposing enough to let his quarry know that he had no intention to let her run away again.

She stared into his unwavering expression. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Not really," the man said, already in the process of sitting down.

X-Ray cursed under her breath and closed her book. It seemed that she decided to get a dig on him to vent her annoyance. "So is this what you _ really _ look like?" For emphasis, she gestured to his brightly colored beanie. "I'm the last who would be judging, but I'd have thought you were a bit old for _ that _."

"_ No! _" Hizashi spluttered, legitimately offended. "This is just a disguise. I don't want to get recognized. I think you as well as anyone would understand the need for a few layers of privacy."

"Hmph." The girl watched the older man for a moment, as if waiting for something to happen. "So, what do you want? You knew when I would be here. You could be putting me in handcuffs right now. Why aren't you?"

It was a curious and worrying question. Most kids her age who were caught tended to be more reactionary. Some fled, some begged for mercy, while others were confused as they didn't even know what they were doing was wrong. But this was pure emotionless acceptance that he usually saw in career criminals, those who showed no remorse, or who had lost their will to care about anything long ago. Hizashi couldn't help but wonder which one this was, hoping it wasn't all three.

"You've saved my life twice now. Though, the second time, I carried you out so we're even on that one. But I still owe you for the first. Thank you."

"Then, you're welcome," she halfheartedly shooed him off as if she knew that it wouldn't be that easy.

"This is the third time we've met but we haven't really _ talked _."

"And if I don't want to talk?"

"Well, the handcuffs are still on the table. Metaphorically, of course. Literally, they're on the other side of the bakery." Mic shrugged as if the ultimatum was out of his hands.

The girl watched him suspiciously. "It depends on what you want to talk about."

Not a guarantee, but the best he could hope for at the moment. The safest course of action, he figured, was to start off slow. "How is your leg?"

X-Ray lightly tapped the table leg with her foot, causing a soft thud from a thicker and heavier piece of footwear than the average sneaker. Like a medical boot. "I was able to get it properly set in time so it's just a matter of waiting for it to heal now."

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Take my broken leg. You didn't need to do that."

"It just made the most sense, right?"

"But you're a civilian. Nobody would have faulted you for running for your own safety. Nobody knew you had a quirk that could have done anything. Most people don't. It's my job as a hero to worry about your safety, not the other way around. You shouldn't have to put yourself into harm's way for my sake."

That statement made her tense in a way that Mic hadn't been expecting. He could only hope that further conversation could enlighten him as to why, however considering how secretive she was, that was doubtful.

"At the end of the day," X-Ray said after some hesitation, "it's simple math."

That brought more confusion. "Math?"

"Yes. There was a confrontation between heroes and villains that had not been resolved yet. With you down, that gives a negative one for heroes available. If nothing changed, that would remain at negative one. If another hero came to help you, then that would bring another hero out of the fight and so negative two, even if temporarily to get you out of harm's way. But I was uninjured, at least when I first noticed. So if I took your injury, you would be able to get back into the fight, bringing it back to zero."

Hizashi was taken aback at how matter-of-factly she was talking about this. "Wait, so you were planning on taking my broken leg from the beginning?"

"I was hoping that it would turn out that I wouldn't have to, but basically, yeah." It was so casual, you'd think she was talking about choosing what shirt she wanted to wear that day.

The pro hero squinted at her, unsure what to make of that. He might expect such talk from a pro, but not a teen who was attending just a normal high school. If she was attending a hero school, he'd have known who she was by now. "So I know you 'take' my injury, but I got the cuts you had from the glass. How does your quirk work, exactly?"

She sighed. "Technically, I switch injuries. I can use a restrained form of my quirk just to look at the injuries someone else has. That's how I use it most of the time. But if I need to, I can switch any injuries with someone. It's one of those passive quirks activated by touch so I have to specifically get it to stop, and with enough concentration, I can focus in on specific parts of the body to be more precise. It was just that at the time, it wasn't feasible to try. But there are limitations. It doesn't transfer the cause of the injury so it's best to remove them beforehand. That includes illness, poisons, penetrating trauma…."

The look of sympathetic horror on Hizashi's face made her trail off. It was like the man was looking at her for the first time. She was absolutely covered in scars. Her face, shoulders, even a few on her neck, worryingly enough. Even though she wore a long shirt to cover her arms, he could see hints of them when the sleeve rode up. He could only presume that the rest of her body was just as bad. That means she got hurt over and over again. Some children were prone to injury as they sometimes played rough. But not to this extent. This was something else.

"X-Ray," his voice was soft and gentle, no longer addressing her like a criminal, but a victim in need. "It's normal for someone your age to know a lot of specifics about their quirk, but for one like yours-"

"No." Her voice was hardened.

"No?"

"We're not talking about that."

The man knew well enough that this was not the time to push it. There were too many people around. Even though they were having a private conversation nobody was listening to, that could change at any moment. Besides, he himself hadn't seemed to fully earn the girl's trust yet.

He put his hands up defensively, slowly waving them in a disarming manner. " Okay, okay, I won't pursue that. I have another question. How does someone such as yourself end up engaged in certain _ extracurricular activities _."

The teen paused as she tried to decide if and how she should respond. The hero made a point to close the notebook and set it aside to try to put X-Ray's mind at ease. She was apparently open to him taking notes about her quirk, but maybe not this. It didn't make much of a difference to him as his hearing aids were recording everything he heard. Hero perks.

"Your hands are already healed, aren't they?" The girl said when she was ready. "I sensed it when I gave you back the pen."

As a reply, Mic removed his usual fingerless glove to reveal slightly calloused, but otherwise unmarred palms. "Recovery Girl is a gift."

"A gift few ever have access to."

"She actually spends much of her time making hospital rounds to help who she can."

"Which is fine for those who feel safe going to hospitals in the first place," the girl countered.

Hizashi frowned. "There's no reason anyone shouldn't feel safe at a hospital. They don't turn anyone away and don't report people to the police just for arriving."

"They're not _ supposed _to," X-Ray muttered. "Imagine how great things would be if everyone did what they're supposed to do. But I guess that would mean you would be losing your day job."

That made the hero chuckle a bit. "Well, I've been told many times that having three jobs is too much. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to lose one if it wasn't needed."

Genuine confusion crossed the teen's face. "Pro hero, radio host…."

"And high school English teacher. I teach at UA." He talked about that one only occasionally on his show. He had to keep that limited since it was inevitable that his students would be listening, hoping for hints on the next test or quiz. Fat chance.

The mention of UA gave Mic the first real emotional reaction from the girl across from him. Pained longing. He remained silent to allow her the chance to work through whatever must have been going through her mind. He was afraid that if he made any kind of interruption, she would be spooked and leave at the acknowledgement of emotions she hadn't quite kept under tight lid. The man waited patiently as she opened her mouth as if to say something before ultimately deciding against it.

When she finally spoke, it was unfortunately not about what had concerned her. "How did you find the Bunker?" Her composure was restored.

Well, this was the first real conversation they had so he wanted her to trust him so he was forced to make a mental note and move on. He chose to tell her the truth on good faith. Of course he had to omit identifying information. "I was working an undercover mission when I got caught up in an unexpected attack from a rival gang. Not realizing I was undercover, they brought me to you."

"So it wasn't a leak then?"

"No. The only person I knew who had even heard of it only overheard the name, Until I was brought there, we had nothing else. We didn't even know what the Bunker was even for."

"Good. Then let me say this, now." The girl leaned forward to grab Hizashi's pen and journal, flipping to a clean page.

_ I take sole responsibility for any illegal activities that may be occurring at the facility known as the Bunker. The individual, code-named 'Test Tube' is licensed to perform all procedures they are tasked with. Their participation is due to coercion on my part via blackmail. All operational decisions were made by me and me alone. Despite this, I have attempted to minimize the use of illegal measures to run the Bunker though I recognize that this was sometimes unavoidable. I have no remorse for my actions and accept whatever punishment is deemed necessary and appropriate by a court of law. I make no plans to resist arrest. This is my written confession made of my own free will. - X-Ray _

Mic watched in shocked silence as the teen quietly wrote. She even added the date. This was obviously highly unusual and he was once again unsure what to make of this. He had come across surprisingly cooperative targets before, but not from a minor and certainly not one like this. He was brought out of his reverie when he was handed back the journal and pen.

"Sign and date as witness to my confession."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Everything will be cleaner this way. I don't want to take my chances. I need there to be some sort of record of my cooperation."

Bewildered and unable to unpack that response, the hero complied. However, when he started putting the pen away, the teen snatched it up once more. This time she wrote on a napkin before returning everything to him. The napkin was clearly not meant to be official like the confession was. The man began to speak, but was cut off before any sound escaped.

"You will not return unless you have a warrant." While her tone lacked malice, it was cold and business-like. Not a threat, per se, but clear in its message. Without another word, she had collected her things and was out the door.

_ What the hell was that? _

The disguised hero stayed a little while longer. He didn't want to make his professional interest in the girl obvious to the bakery regulars. Even if they weren't in on the illicit activities happening next door, they would surely be keen to protect a poor teen from a middle-aged hipster acting creepy. Besides, he needed to write down his conversation while it was fresh in his mind. At least his observations as his hearing aids caught the discussion itself. But he didn't want to stay long. After all, he was anxious to know what the name on the napkin, _ Tanaka Shiho _, was supposed to mean.

Of course it just _ had _ to be a fake name. That's not to say that there weren't plenty of _ Tanaka Shiho's _ in the country, as it had taken Mic the last three weeks to rule out every single one of them as potential leads. He knew it wasn't X-Ray's real name. If she was planning on outing herself, she would have signed her confession with that instead. However, the man was hoping that is was at least a known pseudonym or someone he could talk to for more information. But no, it just had to be another dead end.

"Mic, you need a break," said a voice from the desk next to him that sounded as tired as he felt.

The teacher's lounge was unusually empty. Since exams were coming up, most of the faculty were using the break period to meet with students who needed extra instruction. Today, Present Mic and Eraserhead had a rare moment of respite. While the blond hero would love to use the opportunity to sneak in some high-grade flirting, the risk of a student entering without warning was enough to deter him. Didn't mean he couldn't tease his husband though.

"Usually I'm the one telling _ you _ to get some proper rest. You _ do _care!" It was complete with a big dopey grin.

The dark-haired man didn't miss a beat. "I care about the fact that if this case burns you out, then you will be more whiny when you grade your next set of essays."

"You know I just can't turn down a good mystery. I haven't had one this stimulating since that money laundering scheme. The one with the ice cream shop."

"You just wanted ice cream."

"Well that certainly didn't _ hurt _." Hizashi sighed and let his smile fade, getting serious. "Besides, I can't get what Hound Dog said about her out of my mind."

"About how, based on your report, there was a high probability of long-term severe physical and emotional trauma?"

"And that he highly recommended a psych eval as soon as she is taken into custody, yeah."

Aizawa placed a hand on the blond's shoulder, taking care to avoid the pad's studs. "That's exactly why I'm worried. We don't really know much about her except that she has access to really dangerous people who potentially owe her a debt. That's incredibly dangerous. I can only hope that she's given you good information, but when it's just her word, I'm not filled with a lot of confidence."

Hizashi placed his hand upon his husband's and squeezed it affectionately before they disengaged. "I know. That's why I'm trying to establish her true identity. If I can talk to people who actually knew her in any capacity, I can get a better picture of who exactly I'm working with."

"Need another set of eyes looking at this?" Shouta knew that Present Mic was the kind of hero to not let go of a case so easily. Even though Mic was usually more than content being involved from afar, the man had an insatiable curiosity that couldn't be quieted. The best way to dispel it was to see it through.

"Does the name _ Tanaka Shiho _mean anything to you? It's clearly important if it was given to me separate from that 'confession' of hers, but I have exhausted all known users of that name as leads."

"Or it could be a red herring," Eraserhead offered unhelpfully.

The Voice Hero shrugged. "That's always possible, but I want to explore every avenue before I come to that conclusion."

Despite that suggestion, the darker man seemed to think of something as his brows furrowed as they often did when he was deep in thought. "What if it's not just one name?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if _ Tanaka _ was one person and _ Shiho _was another?"

Yamada leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his lap as he closed his eyes. It looked like a relaxed pose, but his husband knew it to be quite the opposite, indicating a racing mind instead. The possibility of two people instead of one was apparently a prospect that hadn't been considered yet. Aizawa knew better than to interrupt and continued with his own work until his partner eventually broke the silence.

"If that's the case, it will be pretty much impossible to be thorough. _ Tanaka _is one of the most common surnames in the country and the idea of looking for someone by just their given name would be just as impractical. I'll have to narrow it down somehow."

"Or get a lucky break."

A smile broke out on Hizashi's face. "At this point, yeah. Hope you've got one hiding in that scarf of yours."

"I actually might. When is the next slot you have available for a one-on-one?"

That caught the blond's attention and he sat up in anticipation. "Wait, really?"

"Maybe, but it's compelling. You didn't answer my question."

"I have a spot available after school today. Would they be able to make it on such short notice?"

"She's one of my better students, more or less, so I haven't set her up with any other meetings with teachers." The man had his homeroom class roster pulled up on his screen with the schedule for one of his students opened. "If she has other plans, I'm sure this would be important enough to her to move things around."

Hizashi looked over Shouta's shoulder. "Tanaka Rin? Besides the name, what might be the connection?"

"Last week she came to me concerned and asked if it was possible to file a missing persons report as a non-family member and if so, how. She told me that when she went home over the semester break, she found out that nobody has seen her childhood best friend since they graduated from junior high despite supposedly attending a local high school. Thinking that maybe she was just somewhere else over the summer, she had her family keep an eye out. It's been a month since school started back up again, but no sign of her. The girl's father has been uncooperative to questions about it so it's unclear how much he knows. Tanaka's father is a firefighter and knows there hasn't been a report put out yet."

"Well, it's possible she just ended up going to a different high school."

"Of course, but the concern is that Tanaka said she always suspected domestic violence, but was dissuaded from reporting it. She seems to have a lot of guilt about that. Regardless, for there to even be suspicions of it, there's a strong possibility there was significant tension in the household. So either this girl ran away or something might have happened to her."

Aizawa rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "I know the link to your case is very loose, but a Tanaka connected to a missing girl of the right age might be worth looking into at least."

The blond contemplated his options. Yeah, it definitely wasn't anything solid, but it did have more potential than a wild stab in the dark. "Alright, set it up."

Present Mic patiently waited in the small side room that was kept for private meetings or as a quiet space for distraction-free grading. As this was a bit more sensitive of a meeting than the usual discussions over grades, he wasn't quite sure how Tanaka Rin would react. The two of them had a good rapport, actually since early on in the school year they had had a good conversation about performing hero work with perceived disabilities. However, this was a very distressing subject even for adults, let alone a teenager. As the girl was still a first-year, he had yet to see how she would handle that type of stress and needed to be prepared for anything.

A light knock came from the door before the tallest girl in class 1A entered the room. She was pretty hard to miss. Tanaka's bright, blue hair was short, but had an undercut on both sides that showed her darker roots. She also had a kick-ass visor to block out any residual light from reaching her blind eyes, thus allowing her to use her heat quirk better. The teen wasn't quite timid as she walked in, not that she normally was anyway, but she wasn't her usual upbeat self either. It was more cautious.

"Eraserhead-sensei said you wanted to talk about the missing persons case?"

"Yes, yes! Please, sit." Mic was sitting in a small chair, leaving the more comfortable couch to the girl. "I'm working a case right now and I'm trying to identify a person of interest," he said as she sat. "There's a small chance we may be looking for the same person."

Rin perked up. "Wait, you might have a lead on Hibi-chan?"

_ Hibi-chan _, huh? "I don't know yet. First I need to figure out if Hibi-chan and X-Ray are the same person. Did you know her before you lost your sight? If so, would you be able to remember enough give a physical description?"

"Kind of. I lost my sight as a kid so she could have changed a lot since I last saw her." Rin screwed up her face with effort. "I know she had pink hair, but a darker, dusty pink. Not bright. And I never saw them, but I know she has scars. I don't know if she got them later on or just didn't want me to know until later or a bit of both so I never actually saw them. Just felt a couple. The way she was acting, it seemed like she had more, but I didn't want to upset her so I didn't ask. But maybe I should have."

Well, it wasn't much, but it was consistent. Maybe asking for a physical description wasn't the best way to go about this. "What about her quirk?" That would be more useful since it definitely wasn't a common quirk.

There was some hesitation in her voice as she fiddled with her visor. "Well, she would usually tell people that her quirk was that she could sense injuries. I think that's what she's registered for at least. But that's not her real quirk. Not all of it at least. She didn't tell me until I got back to school after my face healed up." For emphasis, she took her visor off, showing some old scarring around her eyes.

"Hibi-chan was upset that I was already better because it meant that she couldn't take it from me. That's her real quirk, injury_ switch _. She can take an injury someone has onto herself and give anyone hers in return. But it doesn't work for old wounds or scars. Apparently her dad told her to keep it a secret from everyone or they'd just use her or something. As far as I know, I'm the only one she told. At least at school. I don't think even the teachers knew."

"And does she have any kind of family? Siblings? Parents?"

"Only her father. Not even cousins or grandparents or anything. I know her mom died when she was too young to remember, but that's it. I've only met him once and I never really liked him."

"Why was that?"

"He was really strict. He didn't let her join any clubs, or go anywhere besides school and maybe to the shops for food and other errands, in which case she was to hand over the receipt and the exact change to make sure she didn't get anything else. Technically, Hibi-chan wasn't even allowed to hang out with me, but we came up with ways. Sometimes I would accompany her to the shops or I'd invite her over to my house for a fake school project. I was never allowed in their house either. And if I remember right, they didn't even have a tv. Really controlling. Hibi-chan didn't want to talk about him so we never did. I don't even know what he does for a living. I think he's just a salaryman or something. I just don't know."

If the girl really didn't have any other family, then that would mean that the quirk couldn't be anyone else. X-Ray was this, Hibi-chan. Though what Rin said started raising red flags. "Eraserhead told me that part of your concern was that you suspected abuse. Was there anything in particular that made you think that?"

"Her father is really controlling, like I said, but I never knew anything for sure beyond that since Hibi-chan never talked about home very much. But after a while I started noticing she had more scars."

"Oh, really?" Mic sat forward, making sure that he kept himself composed despite his concerned curiosity. "What kind of scars?"

"On her arms, mostly. I think. I mean, I only knew they were there when I felt them. It's possible that she had more, but I can't confirm that."

"How many were there?" Mic recalled the glimpse he'd seen of X-Ray's arms in the bakery.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, I didn't get to check very often since she almost always wore long-sleeves, but there seemed to be a lot."

"Do you know how she was getting them?"

"That's the thing. She isn't one to get into fights and again, I was the only one who knew about her quirk so it wasn't like she was taking everyone's injuries or anything. Where else could they have come from?" Rin sighed. "I even tried to talk to her about it a couple of years ago, but she got really mad at me for it. She said it wouldn't work because she tried herself and they didn't believe her. That if I said anything, it would just make it worse. So I didn't! I should have, though..."

"It's all right," Mic was sympathetic. "She was your friend. Nobody could ask you to break her trust."

"Yeah, but…" Rin looked down. "I should have at least tried. I'm just scared something happened to her and that it's my fault because I was quiet."

The man got up in order to kneel down in front of the upset girl in front of him. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Whatever has happened to her is not in any way your fault. It's the fault of whoever was hurting her." And also that of other adults or teachers who surely should have noticed something amiss. Mic only had scant few interactions and noticed the scars that should have made any educational professional make a mandatory report. However, he chose not to mention that at this time as Tanaka might use that to blame herself.

"I… I know." The poor thing looked on the verge of tears, but was trying to keep a brave face. "I just want to know that she's okay.

Hizashi sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I think your Hibi-chan is the same as my person of interest. We've had a few interactions already-"

Rin startled at the news. "You've seen her?! Do you know where she is? Can I talk to her?"

The hero needed to pick his words very carefully from here on out. To give himself an extra moment, he pat the girl's shoulder once more then returned to his chair. "I'm sorry, but that's classified and part of an open investigation that, unfortunately, looks to be a very complicated case. So, I'm going to ask you a few more questions because I need to know as much as I can about her. Everything you tell me will be kept confidential, but you're not obligated to tell me anything you don't want to. Every little bit will help me. Do you understand?"

Rin nodded. "Yes, sir."

With a nod, Mic took out the pen and notepad he had stashed under his chair before the meeting. He figured he would start with something simple. "Does the name _ Shiho _mean anything to you?"

"Not anything specific. At least not to me. There was a girl named Shiho at school, but I don't think she had anything to do with it as we didn't really talk to her at all. Hibi-chan mentioned that she liked the name a lot, so maybe she used to know someone by that name?"

Well, it was worth a shot at least. It would have been nice if he could track down both contacts in one go, but he supposed he'd just have to work a little bit harder on that front. However, that was for later, he had to continue on with this informal interview. "How would you describe Hibi-chan?"

The teen took a moment to compose herself, glad to have a more positive contribution to the conversation. "Well, she's really smart. Smarter than I'll ever be, that's for sure. She didn't have anything to do in her spare time but read so I think that had a lot to do with it. But I guess the trade-off was that she never really knew about the latest trends or shows or anything."

Mic remembered how he was as a teenager. Sure, he was always bouncing around from one hobby to another, but he'd come back to reading fairly often. At the very least, it was one of the quieter pastimes and it definitely didn't require electricity. "Did she have any favorites?"

That question made Rin smile wistfully. "She always hated that question since she always had this weird and complicated list. There were so many favorites for every mood, genre, topic, anything. It was one of the few times where she could _ really _talk your ear off."

"She didn't talk much? Was she shy?"

"I guess?" She screwed up her face as if trying to figure out the right words to express what she wanted to say. "It wasn't so much that Hibi-chan was shy, but just didn't really bother with talking to others. I think she told me once that she didn't want to waste her time with conversations she couldn't contribute to since she only talked if she had anything to say."

Well _ that _certainly sounded very familiar. X-Ray didn't seem particularly quiet when he spoke with her at the bakery, but that was just one conversation where she did have a lot to say. Maybe he could get a better feel for it if he had more opportunities, but that wasn't something he could count on. The girl continued however, before he could come up with a follow-up question.

"She's pretty stubborn too and could get pretty assertive in group projects. I remember this one time when we wanted to do the presentation one way, but she refused." The memory made Rin laugh. "Apparently our way didn't go into enough detail. Eventually she convinced all of us to change it and we got the best grades in the class for that project so I guess she was right about it."

"Not afraid to have an unpopular opinion then?" Well, that take-charge nature was certainly consistent with everything he'd personally witnessed. Getting a bunch of criminals to cooperate so thoroughly to her rules was impressive enough for anyone, let alone a tiny teenager.

"Definitely not." The girl fell silent as if she thought of something she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to share.

Hizashi also remained silent. Silence was a powerful tool in interviews. Many people hated it and would grow uncomfortable enough to continue talking. It also gave them the space to formulate their thoughts before being pulled into another conversation thread. He himself was like that, and had to learn specifically to fight the urge to fill the empty space. It was crucial in his line of work. Luckily he didn't have to wait long for it to go into effect.

"She wasn't very fond of heroes," Tanaka began as she rubbed the back of her neck, nervously. "Not that she liked villains," she quickly added. "She's not one of _ those _."

The man raised a brow. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, she's not like one of those people who likes villains just to stick it to authority or anything. But it also meant that she didn't like heroes just because they were heroes either and was very critical whenever there was a story that didn't show both sides."

"Which is most of them." Mic couldn't help but grimace. He was more than aware of the fantastic ability of the news to twist words for the sake of a story. And while, as a hero, he came out looking pretty good whenever a criminal or villain of any kind was involved, the reporters tended to act like sharks in the water for all the times there wasn't one around. The unfortunate side effect of being a public figure.

The girl shrugged. "Pretty much. Villains can be bad, but they could also be misrepresented. Heroes can be good, but they could also have ulterior motives. Both are just people, with the only difference being who is accepted and who isn't. I mean, I agree to some extent, but not as defeatist as her, I guess."

"How did she feel about you wanting to be a hero?"

There was a hesitation before she answered. "I don't think she was particularly happy, but she tried to hide it. I think it helped that she knew me and that I just want to help people any way I can and to be a role model. Kind of like you, actually."

That took the pro hero by surprise. "Me?"

"Yeah!" Rin was beaming now, giving off a literal warmth as a side effect of her quirk. "Hibi-chan listened to the radio all the time and your show whenever she could catch it. She told me once that while you could be doing just the radio show and make a good living, you still choose to be a hero, meaning you really _ wanted _to be a hero for its own sake. You were already famous by other means. I think she really respected that."

While that was certainly praise that sounded pretty rare, but he was thinking more about how it explained something that he'd been wondering about somewhere in the back of his mind. _ X-Ray is really protective of her identity and secrets, so why did she trust me so much to tell me everything? _ But if he really was a hero she respected, maybe _ that _was the reason.

"Mic-sensei?"

That brought the teacher out of his reverie. "Hm?"

"Did you have any other questions for me?"

"One last one. What's Hibi-chan's full name?"

"Her-Her name?" It seemed that the momentary surprise caused by the question wore off quickly. "Oh… right. You wouldn't have asked me those questions in the beginning if you already knew."

"Right."

There was a reluctance in her voice. "I… Is she in trouble?" She seemed exasperated by her own choice of words almost immediately. "I know you can't tell me anything specific and I'm not asking you to, but I just want to know if she's _ in _ danger or if she _ is _the danger?"

Oof. He couldn't say anything that would lead her to become more involved in the investigation than she already was, but he just couldn't lie to the girl after all the help she's been. "I'm trying to figure that out," he admitted honestly. "But it's looking like a bit of both."

Rin nodded as if she already suspected as such, even to some extent. "Saitou Hibiki. Her name is Saitou Hibiki. Please, Mic-sensei. I just hope you can help her. Whatever that ends up meaning."

"Me too." And he really, truly, _ meant _ it. He just wasn't sure if he really _ could _ help. On the one hand, he had the information he needed for a warrant that would allow the police to arrest her as soon as the paperwork was processed. On the other, he just knew that there was something darker roiling underneath the surface. He just needed to figure out _ what _.


	4. Chapter 4

**TW: MENTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF CHILD ABUSE. IT WILL ONLY INCREASE FROM THIS CHAPTER FORWARD**

_Saitou Hibiki. _

At this point, Present Mic knew a few things. She was a teenager. She ran an illegal medical clinic catering to the criminals of Musutafu. Her quirk allowed her to diagnose and switch injuries with other people. And now? Her name. There was definitely a lot more he needed to uncover, but with a name, he had something he could actually _use _.

"Hey Shou," Hizashi called over from his computer. "I think I've narrowed it down to the right Hibiki."

Aizawa Shouta was on the other side of the teacher's lounge. He had chosen to stay late to keep his husband company while the man scratched this mental itch of his. "About time, too. Before you know it, you'll have to leave for the show."

"Oh I'd never be late for that. You know me!"

Ah yes, _Put Your Hands Up Radio _was tonight. Not that he would forget, exactly, he loved his show! It was just easy to lose the time with his mind occupied like this.

"Yeah, I _know _you. That's the problem."

Something still wasn't right. "It seems that her basic records are sparse. I get that she's young so she wouldn't have any marriage registration or property ownership, but it just has her date of birth and her quirk. Even the quirk we knew was wrong, but at least it's wrong in a way we already knew about. That and the process of elimination are the only reasons I'm sure this is her."

That made Aizawa frown and come over to look over Hizashi's shoulder at the screen. After a moment, he mentioned the elephant in the room. "Her parents aren't listed. Even if they weren't in the picture or disowned her for whatever reason, they should still be there as well as the current legal guardians. But nobody is. She's not recorded as an emancipated teen either."

"It seems strange that this would be a clerical error. For this to have happened, someone would have had to make her record at her birth and then forget to add her parents."

"Shouldn't they have noticed when her quirk was registered?"

"Mhmm. So the information was never entered which then went unnoticed, or it was removed at some point. But I have no idea why someone would do either."

"So," Eraserhead asked as he sat in the chair at his desk next to his husband's. "What's your plan now?"

Mic sighed. "I need to find out who the parents are because unless I have their information this case will have hit a dead end. _Normally, _I would want to try to use the date of birth and ask the hospital everyone who was born on that date and then for the parents of those children."

"But?"

"But I would need a warrant to access information like that. I would prefer to keep that as a last resort."

The paranoid voice in his mind was telling him that on the off chance Saitou's parents' were removed from her records deliberately, someone might have an interest in keeping it that way. By making an inquiry known by requesting a warrant for that information, it might alert them. There was no telling how desperate someone might get. Of course, the chance was small, but not impossible. It was smarter to prepare for the possibility and plan around it rather than bulldoze through and be caught by surprise when it would be too late to do anything. It might take more elbow grease, but he had other options available to him.

The blond rubbed his temple already knowing this was going to be a headache. "The only thing I can think of is to go through obituaries since those might give us more detail about family than a death certificate would. According to Tanaka, Hibiki's mother died when she was young. Presumably, that would mean that the mother died _before _she met Tanaka. I didn't think to ask when the two of them met because I didn't think it was important at the time, but we know it had to have been before Tanaka lost her eyesight since she mentioned Hibiki's reaction to that event. I personally know _that _happened when Tanaka was seven because I've talked with her about that in the past. That would be the latest possible date for the death with Hibiki's birth being the earliest."

"That's still about seven years to work through."

"Right. And on top of that, we can't even assume that the mother had the same surname since it could have happened out of wedlock, but at the very least we can be sure that she wouldn't have been too old to have had a child. Since the hospital Hibiki was born in and the school she attended with Tanaka were both in Kurosanto, it seems reasonable to start there and hope the family didn't move around in that time frame."

Aizawa then turned and logged onto his computer. "You start from the beginning of that time frame and I'll go from the end, then we can meet up in the middle. Since you know some of these details better than I do, I'll keep a list of my maybes so you can better eliminate them later. Let's see how many we can crank out before your show."

"If I win, we're eating at that American-style diner you _never _let me go to."

"Because I can barely qualify that as food, which is big coming from _me _. Even _All Might _refuses to eat there and he loves all things American."

"Well, I think it has plenty of charm."

"You can't _eat _charm, Hizashi, but fine. If _I _get it first, you're _making _dinner."

"Deal."

Hizashi was on year three and he could just feel his eyes glazing over. He only had an hour left before he had to leave so it looked like he wasn't going to get this cracked before the show. He was moments away from reminding Shouta that he wasn't all that great a cook and so should be aiming his sights pretty low, when a name caught his eye.

_Shiho _.

That was the other name that X-Ray had given him. He was sure now that "Tanaka" referred to Rin, as they were best friends. However, he hadn't had a clue who this Shiho might be.

What if Shiho was the mother? Could it really be that simple?

The obituary was short but it was everything he needed.

"Shou! I found it!"

"What? Really?"

"Look at this!"

Not bothering to actually get up, Aizawa scooted over to see what his husband was referring to.

_Saitou Shiho, taken from us at the tragically young age of 28 as a casualty of the Akato Station incident last Thursday. Beloved friend, wife, and mother, Shiho had achieved her lifelong dream of serving her community by becoming a trauma nurse. Her friends and coworkers recall her great dedication to others and great love for her family. She is survived by husband, Hideki, and daughter, Hibiki. _

The timing, the age, the names they knew, it all matched up. It was impossible that this wasn't it.

Eraserhead seemed to linger on it for a few moments before he made his true thoughts known. "Okay, we'll eat at that stupid diner! But I reserve the right to choose when. I want to make sure I don't have a patrol right after the inevitable food poisoning."

"As long as you don't deflect for more than a month!"

"_ Fine _," Shouta huffed, but he seemed to want to avoid thinking of his future suffering. "Okay, where do you want to go from here? Research-wise, I mean."

Oh. Right. He only had an hour left. "The best way would be to research the father and the mother. Follow those lines of inquiry. But I don't think I have enough time before I have to go. I might look into this Akato Station incident. The name sounds familiar, but I don't know much beyond that. It might be important. So I guess the question is if you wanted to start on either of the parents or leave that to me for later?"

Shouta wasn't too keen on even _more _database research. He preferred more hands-on methods of information gathering. It's part of what made the two of them a good team. It was just that at this stage, it wasn't like there was anything else that could be done.

"I'll at least get you a headstart and work until you leave."

"Thanks, any bit helps!"

Hizashi scrawled the names and Shiho's date of birth so his husband can get right into the search. They needed to make the most of this time while they could.

Researching the Akato Station incident turned out to be a double-edged sword. Apparently it was a defining moment in the town's history so there was plenty of press and information. But Yamada knew very well that the more press there was, the easier it was for things to get distorted. As it was, it seemed the story was that four employees of the regional rail line went rogue and worked together to intentionally crash a train into another one already stopped at Akato Station. The station was near the city center and the collision occurred at the peak of rush hour. It was clear that the perpetrators wanted to cause the maximum carnage with their act as possible. With over 50 deaths and nearly twice that injured, it was certainly devastating.

All four employees who were confirmed to have caused this tragedy either died in the collision or committed suicide shortly thereafter to avoid the media circus. An additional man was arrested on suspicion of involvement, but after his release due to lack of evidence, an angry mob of distraught family killed him. The various news articles Hizashi found disagreed on whether law enforcement were complacent in some way since their response was unusually slow.

He was working through the police and hero response reports for that mob attack when Aizawa interrupted his train of thought.

"Hizashi, I think this is going to be a lot more complicated than you thought."

"Were their records deleted too or something?"

"The opposite. The mom's is pretty normal. I've found out her quirk is a minor healing one and took the highest-level license for medical quirk-use. The license paperwork showed that she worked as an ER nurse at the Kurosanto General Hospital. Then the marriage documents showed she was indeed married to Hideki, and it was about three years before their only daughter was born. The only police reports I found with her name attached were as a witness."

That _was _pretty standard. The only thing Hizashi could possibly have to follow-up on would be the quirk-use license. Most people who had occupations that their quirk would be useful for had to apply and take an industry-regulated course to allow them to actually use their quirk. They were only valid for use at the workplace which had to also sponsor and manage their employees' quirk usage. However, those in the emergency services could apply for licenses that gave them more freedom due to the impromptu nature of emergencies, but were subject to more rigorous training as a result. Hero licenses were of the same vein, just had different rules and regulations than medical quirk licenses. For Shiho to have had the highest level, she would have had to be very accomplished in her subfield and the accompanying coursework.

"So what about the father?"

Shouta sighed. "That's the problem. 'Zashi, he's a pro hero." He turned his computer screen so that his husband could see.

Hizashi swiveled his chair to look. "_ Noci? _He looks like he only operates in Kurosanto."

But that name looked familiar. Looking back at his own computer gave him the answer. Noci was the same hero who was first on the scene to the mob attack. He was also reportedly nearby Akato Station when the collision happened in the first place. Not only that, but if his wife was among the dead, that would certainly have made this a very personal case. With the potential conflict of interest, the entire mob attack report was thrown in an entirely different light. With this in mind, he scooted his chair closer to Shouta's computer to read Noci's official profile far more closely.

"Wait Shou, does he have an incident report?"

Accolades and achievements were always prominently displayed on these profiles, but the evn on the law enforcement database they were using, the incident report was usually very difficult to find and only accessible to higher clearance levels. It was usually meant for internal investigations or personnel transferrals. If an agency or a police station wanted to take in a hero, it was important they know what kind of employee they would be taking on, and what kind of liability they would be facing. Most things were technicalities. All damage to property or injury to suspects had to be reported. For some of the heavy hitters, like All Might in his heyday, that could really add up. However, the incident report also contained information on any investigations or accusations made against them as well as violations and misconduct. A hero's incident report was all their official dirty laundry so naturally it was important to have security for it.

Hizashi personally didn't have the clearance to access these reports, however, a while ago, a friend who _did _gave his clearance password to him on grounds of convenience, but never _actually _changed his password afterward. Mic had known better than to look a gift horse in the mouth and just kept quiet about it. After all, it saved him from a couple of team ups that would have been difficult for even _him _to navigate. And he got along with most anybody. So he was going to keep using this password until he was told otherwise. The slap on the wrist that would come from this slight abuse in power would be worth it.

Especially now. When Mic entered the password at the prompt, both men swore under their breath. The resulting sheet was _long _. Usually only nation-wide heroes had this kind of report since they were taking on villains that tended to cause heavy damage so they would have to do some of their own when tackling them. But for a local hero? This was pretty nuts.

"Most of these look like injury reports for suspects." Hizashi murmured as he scanned the document. "I mean… it comes with the job but this looks…"

"Excessive." Eraser finished. "Though, wait... The phrasing seems strange. Look." He pointed to one example.

_Simulated: Fractured left shin, broken nose, three lacerations to the upper right arm. _

Nearly all of the other examples also had a section on 'simulated' injuries whether actual injuries occurred or not.

"Simulated? Can you go back to what his quirk was again?"

The incident report was minimized and the profile returned.

_Pain transferral: Any acquired physical pain can be stored for up to four (4) hours and given whole or in part to another person through skin contact. The pain is analogous to the original injury without the physical damage. Quirk user experiences dampened or reduced form of pain while it is stored. Stored pain can be eliminated at any time without a recipient. _

The entry gave Mic some thought. It was clear why it would be a useful quirk for hero work. Pain was something that was very difficult to work through and can make anyone stop in their tracks. A rampaging villain may be brought to their knees if they honestly felt like they were being stabbed without having to get the logistics or red tape of actually severely injuring someone. But the limitations of the quirk meant Noci would have to have the pain himself first.

"It would make the most sense," he started thinking aloud as he was prone to do. His husband was very used to this. "If he had to feel pain, he would have to have had those injuries within four hours of giving them to those suspects. The question is, how can he work like that? Be that injured? That would affect your ability to fight, right? Four hours isn't a long enough time for recovery from any useful injury."

"Unless you knew someone with a healing quirk."

"Like his wife…"

But his wife died years ago. He would have had to find someone else. Perhaps an acquaintance at the hospital, someone at his agency, the police station, or…

No! That was a thought he really didn't want to consider. Some people were monsters and abused their power, but that would be too far. And from a hero! Hizashi couldn't make accusations like that. Not unless he was absolutely sure. He especially didn't want to do anything that would alert Noci he was investigating this because if that worst possible scenario was true, he needed to proceed with the utmost caution.

He had to make sure all the sunny forest paths led to dead ends before he would be forced to walk the one plunged in shadows and ghosts.

"Hizashi, you have that face." Shouta pulled him out of a thought spiral again. "You're really worried about something. A hunch."

The man hesitated. "I don't even want to say it out loud. Not while there are any other possibilities. There would be no turning back once I start making talk like that."

Aizawa considered this and turned back to his screen. It's possible he had the same suspicions as they both had the same facts for this case. But if he did, his face betrayed nothing as if agreeing with his partner to stay quiet on the matter. He then looked at the clock.

"You have to leave for your show."

Startled, the blond quickly confirmed this fact with his own look. Dammit! Just as he was getting somewhere. He quickly started closing everything and logging off his computer.

While he was gathering his things, Shouta spoke up. "Look, whatever it is, these simulated injuries are key as are the timing of it all. I'll get these all onto a spreadsheet with their dates and times if any are listed. I don't know what we can compare them with, maybe buried in each case report itself or something."

"Shou, that's going to take you hours! You don't have to do that!"

"My agency is mad at me for not taking required time off and are basically forcing me to stay home for the next couple of nights. If I do this, then we don't have to go to that stupid diner. Deal?"

As much as Mic wanted to protest, he knew this would save him a lot of time. _Someone _would have to spend hours copying and pasting data and he himself had three jobs that could each be a single, fulfilling career for most people. If his husband was going to offer, then he wasn't going to let that opportunity go.

"Deal. I'll see you later!"

Eraser waved him off with an affectionate dismissal as he stuck a thumb drive into the computer.

"I want to, once again, thank all of our experts for coming in this week! We're going to be taking calls after a short music break so please, if you have any stories about survival, or questions in general, don't be afraid to ask! Just as another reminder, if you or a loved one is experiencing domestic violence, please contact any one of the hotlines we will be listing on our website. If it's an emergency, contact emergency services. While I am a hero, I don't think I could get there as fast as you need me to."

Mic then hit a button to mute his microphone. Moments after, his switchboard operator on the other side of the glass wall started the music playlist the two of them had previously and carefully prepared. His show was usually a fun environment, but once a month he had special episodes to highlight different social issues. Last month was environmentalism, the one before that was stress in the workplace, etc. Instead of a music-dominated show like he usually did, they only served to give him breaks between segments during these shows. They typically started with an introduction by himself, perhaps with a personal story or two of his own if he had any, listing the charities the show's revenues for the night would be going towards, interviews with a few experts on the topic with all of them entering into a joint discussion, followed by a call-in segment where people could share their own stories or ask questions. He always ended his show with a winding down segment of music that were either calming or just generally feel-good songs.

The call-ins this time around were going to be particularly rough just by nature of the topic so tonight slightly strayed from the norm. Usually, when people called in, they were screened by interns so that way they could determine if it would be relevant or a good enough story to tell live. The callers would then be put on a queue to connect with him live. But for a night like this, the callers were just going to have to leave a message for him. This was actually industry standard for a show as popular as his, but he liked having an actual back-and-forth with his fans. That's why he did the show as his hero persona in the first place. It was just that this topic was so sensitive, they were going to have to screen the messages carefully to make sure that they can air it on the radio. The higher-ups wouldn't like people going into gorey details and all that so it was best to take the extra steps even if he personally felt this was the most important time to speak directly with listeners.

Yamada stretched his legs during the small break, though he was mostly waiting for the queue to have at least a couple messages that were ready to go. A couple of songs in, he got the heads up from his director that all was ready to go. After the current song he turned his microphone on once more.

"Alright, listeners! We're back on the air and I'll be taking calls. Just as a reminder, due to the nature of the topic for tonight, conversations may be sensitive for you, but just remember that these conversations are important to have. Alright, first caller, you're up!"

"Hello, Present Mic. I have a question."

His eyes widened at the recording. That voice! That was X-Ray! Or more accurately, Hibiki since her voice wasn't being modulated by the mask she wore at the Bunker. Frantically, Mic signed to his director to see if it was possible to pull the phone number this call was made from. Using sign language was faster than writing things down, so it was easier to quietly communicate with his staff during the show since both his switchboard operator and director knew it as well. For her to have called him was a huge deal. This time, she was actively seeking contact, not the other way around. And to call during a show with a topic like this? It made Tanaka's fears far more credible which in turn made Mic more determined to get to the bottom of things. From what little he had, it was looking like she was more a victim than a villain in this case. This case was getting personal in a way he hadn't anticipated. The man could see she needed help and was determined to give it.

There was a pause that was artificially cut into the recording so that they could give the illusion everything was live and used that to respond. "Thank you for calling, little listener! What did you want to ask?"

"What do you do if nobody will believe you?"

"It takes a lot of courage to talk about painful experiences, especially if they are still happening. There's little that can crush that courage faster than not being believed. A lot of abusers are skilled manipulators and they can manipulate not just you, but also your support circle to undermine you when you do get brave enough to talk. The best advice I can give is to not give up. There will be someone, at least one person, out there who will believe you. At the very least, the hotlines we have linked on the show's website are full of people ready to believe you and help you get somewhere safe."

He knew that this was a recording, but no doubt X-Ray was listening. That answer would undoubtedly help many people, but he knew it would mean nothing to her. Hizashi knew she felt completely and utterly alone and that these general helplines could do nothing for her. He had to do more.

"And I can tell you right now, _I'll _believe you. No matter how crazy your story might seem, I'll take it seriously. I've already personally witnessed some pretty absurd things in my work as a hero. You can't surprise me. If I'm your last option, I'll do it in a heartbeat."

As he spoke, Yamada noticed his director trying to get his attention, then signed that he had the phone number he was looking for. Good. He just hoped that the girl didn't call from a payphone and that this was a number he could actually call back. He needed to try to establish contact again. He had to. But not at this moment. He had a show to do.

"I hope that helps, dear listener! Don't give up hope and keep fighting! Now, let's take another call!"

An hour or two of calls later and he was at the wind-down portion of the show. There wasn't much of anything left on his end of things, he just needed to be awake enough to close out the program at the end. Which meant he had time for some calls of his own. Of course, there weren't many people he could call this late. After Hizashi sent his husband a quick text that he would be home soon, he left the booth to ask his director for that number X-Ray called from.

"Hey Mic," he said, with the slip of paper in his hands. "Why do you need this number? You know I'm not supposed to use my quirk this way, but you seemed desperate."

Hougen Atomu could have gone into law enforcement if he wanted to. After all, his quirk allowed him to trace signals, including tracing unlisted phone numbers which was incredibly useful in investigations. But instead, the man wanted to work in entertainment, not that Hizashi didn't borrow his services from time to time. There was something admirable about that, to follow your own dreams despite the pressure to follow the profession that would benefit from the use of your quirk best. That was a societal issue all on its own. Perhaps one for another episode….

No, Hizashi was getting off track now. "All I can say is that it's part of an investigation I'm working on. She's never contacted _me _before so this is a pretty big deal."

"Fine," the man conceded and handed Mic the slip of paper. "As long as you know that if this gets back to me-"

"I'll take the heat for it, I know, I know. Same as always. Thanks." It wasn't like Mic asked Atomu for these favors often; this was only reserved for last-option scenarios. It just meant that in the rare instances he did need Atomu to use his quirk, the stakes were usually pretty high.

Number in hand, Hizashi stole away into a private room to make his call. He didn't want there to be any risk of anyone or anything listening in. Sure, it was cramped in the broom closet, but he didn't expect to stay there too long. He used his burner phone to dial the number once he settled himself leaning onto the small space in one of the corners between two shelving units.

Technically, he had three or four phones at any given time. First was his personal phone that was only to be used for personal affairs and business that was separated from his hero work. His other regular phone was the one he used for official Present Mic business. That was the number his radio station had as well as his hero agency and the various employees and managers he needed to run his life. PR managers, support gear and costuming discussions, his work schedule, all that was on there. He liked keeping these two phones separate because it was easier to compartmentalize his persona if it had its own phone. He could also, should the need arise, turn off his work phone but still have his personal one available so he could actually take time off. If he ever did in the first place.

However, he also tended to have at least one or two burner phones on him at most times. He was usually given one on a case-by-case basis. It was a pretty simple process. That way his investigation handler could reach him in emergencies. Often he took the time crafting a personality and had an advanced tech team make it seem like his character actually existed in the real world long before he really did. That way if a particularly nosy and untrusting mark decided to snoop through his phone, nothing could give him away. These were always returned at the end of the mission and its log data was entered into evidence. But if he wanted a phone that police didn't know to take from him, one that could be used for edge-cases, he had to get his own burner phone.

That off-the-grid burner was what he used to call the number he had for X-Ray. Now that he knew that an active hero _might _be involved in this case in a bad way, Mic wanted to be able to determine _exactly _what information would be handed over to the rest of the team. It wasn't like he didn't trust his own team, but he had to proceed with the utmost caution now. He needed to have more information before he went to them with his findings. The implications as he had them now were dangerous, so he had to make sure of them before making them known. These were the kinds of things that could end careers, founded or not.

Taking a deep breath, Yamada dialed the number and waited.

After several rings, the phone went to voicemail. He expected that since Hibiki was pretty reclusive and already rehearsed it in his mind. He wanted it to be clear that he knew who exactly he was speaking to, but not in any incriminating way. Just in case this was a number to a public phone rather than a private one.

"Hey, hey, hey, little listener! This is Present Mic. I was concerned about the call you made to the show earlier. This is a secure, private phone of mine so you don't have to worry about your information getting anywhere it shouldn't. If you ever wanted to talk, you can call or text this number at any time. I'm here if you need me, Hibi-chan!"

Using that honorific for her might have been a bit excessive, but it got the point across. Hizashi figured that there was likely one person who called her that. So by letting Hibiki know he knew that nickname, he was also letting her know that he'd talked with Tanaka. Hopefully that would work in his favor.

Either way, it was now out of his hands. Hopefully she will respond, but that wasn't anything he could control. He returned to the recording booth even though there were a few songs left. It was better to remain there and not lose track of time. That happened before and it was super embarrassing!

Just as he sat down, he felt his phone vibrate. Incredulously, he checked. It was his burner. Hibiki texted him.

_Can you prove it? How do I know you are who you say you are? _

That was fair, he supposed.

_Idk if there is something only the two of us know. I could give a live shout out _? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

_No shout out _

_Uhhhhhhh selfie? With something you want me to write? _

_Fine. Handwrite the answer to the question: What was the first thing I said to you? _

_I might have been out cold, would it be ok to do the first thing I remember you saying? _

_That would be fine. _

_K one sec! _

It took a little bit to remember. That was back in the Bunker. Wow, that felt like it was _ages _ago. He couldn't quite remember the exact phrasing, but he could only hope it was good enough.

_You were talking to the guy who brought me in: How many times have I told you the difference between the normal call button and the emergency call button? _

Despite a strange look from his director, he took the selfie and texted it along with a message saying he was going to end the show real quick so he was putting the phone on silent. He didn't want the sound of the vibration interrupting the recording. That would just be unprofessional. But it was only going to be about 15 minutes anyway. Hopefully she could wait that long. Hell, she was probably listening to it. It was a breeze though. He'd done it so many times it was nearly autopilot at this point. Closing thoughts on the night's show, suitable reminders, announcements regarding next week's show, English word of the night, and the final goodbye. Easy.

As soon as the equipment was all shut off, he checked his phone.

_Alright, I believe you. I want to talk, but not over the phone. _

_So… in person? When and where? _Was she really setting up a meeting herself? This was a pretty big deal. It must really be urgent. He found himself hoping everything was okay with her.

As Hizashi waited for a response, he took both the pages he had used, both the one with Hibiki's number and the other with his selfie response and slipped both into the shredder in the office. There. No trace.

He was just finished gathering his things when the response text finally came in.

_There is a children's park close by. I'll send you the address. It's public but not too crowded that we would be overheard. An open area so both of us can see enough to be sure there won't be an ambush. I'll send you the address. Can you be there as early as 10 am tomorrow? _

That was really short notice. It had to be really urgent, to be sure. Hizashi doubted he would get a chance like this again, so he agreed.

_I think I can manage that. I might be tired though! _

_That's fine. See you then. _

_See ya! _

The only thing left was to go home and prepare for the meeting. That and break the news to Shouta. He knew for a fact that his husband was going to absolutely hate this.

"This is an awful idea and I can't _believe _you were stupid enough to agree to it." Aizawa was doing his best to convey his anger quietly so as to not wake up Eri in the next room. Unfortunately, he was very good at that.

"Look, I know. It's just… it just sounded really important. I couldn't just say no!"

Shouta sighed as he plopped onto their bed in about five different kinds of exhaustion. "This isn't one of our students or even a random citizen needing help, Hizashi. This is a criminal who knows you're after her, has untold connections, and a dangerous quirk. This sounds like a classic trap."

"Shou… It's not like I haven't considered that." He gently sat down next to his husband. "You must feel it too. There's something about this case that just seems _wrong _and I need to find out what. I know there's a risk, but I think I have to take it. If I don't, I might never get a chance to talk to her. At least not unless she's behind bars."

"At least don't go alone."

"If I go in with backup, I will lose all trust she has put in me. And I get the feeling that's hard to earn in her case. Besides, I don't think I can get anyone so last minute."

There was a moment of silence before Shouta responded. "I could do it."

"Shou?"

"I could be your backup. I've done undercover work before. You know that. I know the situation, I know how you work, and I would be able to be there despite how soon it is."

The two stared at one another. Eraser was deadly serious, unwavering in his intent to not accept a refusal. Hizashi had to admit that there was little he could really say to that effect anyway.

"Okay. But if we're going to do this, we need to plan this very carefully and for as many contingency plans as we can think of. I don't think we're going to be getting much sleep."

"Do we ever?"

"Fair point."

It really had taken most of the night to prepare. With so many unknowns there was a lot to account for. The biggest point of contention was how to get Aizawa there in a way that looked natural. It ended up being the riskiest part of this plan. Since it was specifically a children's park, it wasn't like Eraser could just be a hobo to be ignored. If anything, that would raise even more suspicions. No, he would have to come with a child. And since none of the stand-ins available to the police for sting operations would be able to make it on such short notice, they had only one option. Their own daughter.

Yeah, there was a _lot _of debate about that option. But there was nothing for it. So that led to many more discussions and amendments to their contingency plans. They also managed to get Yagi to hang out at a cafe a block away as a safe zone. If things went south, the first priority would be to get Eri out so she could make a break for that cafe. They even had an alert text prepared to send to the retired hero so he could start his way to the park to meet her part way and escort her the rest. Hopefully that wouldn't come to pass.

All four of them met at the cafe beforehand to run through the plan over some breakfast. Hizashi and Yagi were dressed fairly normally. It had been a few years since All Might retired and the man was finally starting to enjoy relatively normal peace out in public. Present Mic on the other hand, benefited from the fact that his hero look was drastically different than his civilian one.

Poor Shouta had the most changes. As an underground hero, he didn't have as much of a presence for his hero work than the other two. However, as the homeroom teacher for UA's most notorious hero class to-date, he had a lot of press time. Those students had already graduated, but only in the last year. It was going to take some time before he could regain some anonymity. Luckily not much was needed. Shaved so they could apply a fuller fake beard, though it was still closely-trimmed, makeup to hide his scar, and then fake glasses to round everything out.

Mic looked at his watch for what must have been the hundredth time. It was getting close to when his husband and daughter would be heading out. It was better if they were already there before he himself arrived. He just needed to reassure himself one last time.

"Okay Eri, what will you be doing today?"

The little girl, for her part was excited to be part of something important, especially since she wasn't in the center of it. "Play like normal and pretend I don't know you! Just like when the paparazzi find you!"

"Good."

The one time Yamada was actually thankful for those nosy assholes. At least Eri knew how to act casual and indifferent toward him when needed. He didn't want her publicly connected to him lest her privacy was violated.

He continued. "And if I or your father give you the signal?"

"Run back here as fast as I can. Don't look back. Don't stop. You two are heroes and know what you're doing so I just need to stay safe." She said it like this is the billionth time she has had to say it. And well, they did make sure to have her say it often enough that it would be instinct should the need arise. So she wasn't exactly _wrong _.

It wasn't just this instance either. Considering her past and their current professions, the threat of danger had been a constant possibility in their minds as a family. Made plans for the worst-case scenarios, safe places, what to do if those safe places were no longer viable, how to recognize danger, following directions in an emergency, how to recognize someone who could be trusted. They may have been going through these instructions for years, but this was the first time she was going to be walking into such a situation intentionally. It made them all a bit nervous.

"Good, good, good." He let out a sigh that wasn't so much a relief, as it was a release. "Alright, have fun sweety!"

He watched his family leave, and continued watching until they turned the corner, out of sight. Part of him wanted to run after them, but he had to keep their connection to him on the down-low. That was kind of the point of all of this. So instead he turned his attention elsewhere.

"Thanks for helping us out on this, Toshinori. I know it was so last-minute. I really owe you one."

The older man waved him off over his mug of hot tea, the book he had planned on reading lay on the table between them. "The pleasure is all mine. It's been a while since I've been asked to help out with a case. Besides, I could tell this is probably one of your core cases."

"Core case?" That wasn't a term he'd heard before.

"One of those cases that, regardless of societal importance, feels vital to _you _. One that speaks to the core of your being or feels like it defines you as a person. A lot of the time, you don't realize it until later, but not always."

"Have you been reading philosophy books in your spare time?" Hizashi asked dryly.

The pair laughed, though he did have a point. Mic's personal investment in this case was way higher than normal. He could only hope that it didn't bite him in the ass later.

They made small talk for about fifteen minutes, hopefully it was enough time to allay suspicion, but he really did have to leave now to make the meeting time. The park was fairly small, but was how Hibiki said it would be. There was a small playscape in the center with benches and picnic tables available with the remaining space open. There was another couple with a young boy there besides Aizawa and Eri. It definitely gave his family more believability, but it meant there were more people to worry about. He supposed that was the point of meeting in a public place. Accountability.

Hibiki was also already there. She sat on a park bench on the farther edge, but still in easy view of the playscape. The teen was stiff, probably too stiff, but considering the situation, that made sense. Her back was to him so he circled around a bit so she could see him approaching. Didn't want to surprise her or anything. As he approached, the girl scooted over to one side of the bench to give him room to join her. Even still, he felt the need to ask first.

"This seat taken?"

"Go ahead." She was hugging herself tightly and spoke quietly.

It was very out of character for the teen he'd gotten to know over these past few weeks. But maybe this was more real than he had ever been permitted to see before. He sat down, but made sure there was enough space between them so she wouldn't feel crowded. If he could make her comfortable, then maybe she would open up fully.

The pair sat there in silence for a few long minutes. It was hard for Hizashi to fight the urge to start, but since she was the one who wanted this meeting, she had the right to speak her piece. Finally, she caved.

"I lost a patient last night." Her voice was small, vulnerable, _scared _. "I mean, it wasn't the first time. It's inevitable. I have someone come in every once in a while with injuries too severe for me to help. I let everyone who comes in know that I'm not a miracle worker, that I do what I can. It hurts, but my conscience has always been clear."

This wasn't what he was expecting at all and the situation brought with it a whole host of other problems. With an admission that she was responsible for someone's death, intentionally or no, that put this case in a completely different legal category now. Before there was some concern about this, but not a high priority. It was easy to convince himself that it was more like an advanced first aid station despite the knowledge otherwise. But now he couldn't ignore it. Now that he knew someone had died, multiple someones, apparently, he would now be complicit in any deaths that occurred from this point forward. He had to proceed very carefully now.

"So what was different this time?"

"Two patients had an emergency at the same time. I had to _choose _who to help first and just hope I was able to get to the other in time. I… I wasn't fast enough." Miserably, she covered her face with her hands.

As a hero, that kind of a scenario was a nightmare. No matter what you did, you were guaranteed to come out of it with a lifetime of sleep-destroying guilt. But it was something he was trained to handle. How to make a decision, had resources available to cope with it after. But Hibiki didn't have that. This was exactly why the Bunker shouldn't exist. Not like this.

However, it wasn't as simple as telling her to stop. She was protective of this place, that was clear. Hibiki clearly didn't much care for the legal issues here. If she did, the Bunker wouldn't exist in the first place. Her concern was far more a moral issue. The Bunker was as much a part of her as an arm might be. He had to make it her idea to end it. That was the only way this was going to happen.

"You can't be in two places at once-"

She looked at him with anger, but not directed at him, at herself. Hibiki didn't get loud, but he could tell she was trying to hold back and not cause a scene in public. "Maybe if I went to the other one first, I might have had time. Or if I made a bigger effort to find a few more people to work there, someone else could have been there to help me handle both."

Instinctively, Mic lightly grasped her shoulder to comfort her, but the girl flinched at the touch. He immediately removed his hand. He was a touchy-feely guy so this was going to be tough. But clearly she didn't trust him enough for that yet.

Instead, he tried to soothe her with words. "That's one of the toughest parts about the business of saving people. Things just go wrong no matter what you do. You could go through the what-ifs as much as you want, but it won't change the past. All you can do is learn from it and see how you can prevent it again in the future. But you're so young. You shouldn't _have _to be making these choices in the first place. This is the time you _should _be making mistakes, yes, but in an environment safe for everyone and with people to help you through them."

"You're saying I should shut down the Bunker, aren't you?"

Yamada sighed, leaning back to rest his head against the back of the bench, staring at the idle clouds in the sky. "I am, but not just because I'm legally obligated to tell you that. I get your intentions, I really do, even if I don't agree with your methods. But at the end of the day, what you're doing is extremely dangerous. You're not medically trained so you're putting your patients at risk, even if you warn them of that risk beforehand. You're putting yourself at risk because if you piss off the wrong person in that world, it would be really hard to protect you. But also it's clearly not healthy for you. You're so busy taking care of everyone else that I'm afraid you have no energy left to take care of yourself. That's on top of the unbelievable amount of stress you put on yourself. Being a teenager is already a stressful time. You don't need to be adding to it with this."

The poor thing looked like she was trying not to cry. Hizashi felt an almost visceral pain about that. As much as he wanted to just give her a hug right there, he knew that it wasn't the right time in their relationship yet. He found himself gripping his knees to fight the urge. He glanced up to see that the other family had left. Shouta was playing with Eri as he was supposed to, but the two men met eye contact for a brief moment. Hizashi nodded in reassurance before his husband returned to what he was doing.

The girl broke him from his thoughts. "What am I supposed to do?"

"If you don't feel safe shutting the Bunker down, maybe I could-"

"No, it's not that. From day one, I've been telling people that I could pull the plug on the whole operation at any moment with no hesitation if I felt that the Bunker was threatened in any way. It actually helped everyone self-police themselves and only spread word quietly. I have a whole plan of action that's been ready to go since before I even opened it."

That surprised him. If she was so ready to let go of the Bunker, why was she still hanging onto it? There had to be something else.

"So what's keeping you from doing it? You know I'm investigating you and your doors are still open."

Hibiki hesitated and then looked into her lap, helplessly. "I don't know where else to go."

"Well… I know of some group homes-"

"A group home will put me in the system. And if I'm in the system, _he _can find me." Her eyes widened. She clearly said something she didn't mean to. Mentioned something she wasn't yet ready to discuss. However, it was gone quickly, hoping Mic wouldn't notice.

But he did. "You mean your father, don't you?" Mic carefully watched her expression.

Hibiki's face was neutral, but constrained as if she was deliberately hiding her reaction. "What do you know about him?"

"I talked with Tanaka. To Rin. He was the only family member she was able to talk about since your mother died when you were young. She noted that he was controlling as well. You also called me during my show on domestic abuse and asked what to do if nobody believed you. That's a pretty concerning sign as well."

She looked away. "And how do I know _you _will believe me?"

"I'm here aren't I?"

"I mean… it's my word against his. And he always has an explanation for everything. Besides, I'm a criminal and he's…"

"A pro hero, I know."

That startled her and she stiffened, staring at Mic wide-eyed. "But I… How….?"

"I have my ways. It's my job, after all. We're not all big brutes who punch the problems away."

"Then why are you still here? If you know he's a hero, why are you still saying you will believe me?" She was pale. Panicked. Did she think this was some sort of trap?

"I do have to trust my colleagues when we work together. But they're also not going to just get a free pass from me if I find evidence of wrong-doing. A hero taking advantage of their power and position can be just as dangerous as any villain."

Hibiki seemed to emotionally deflate and looked back to her lap. "Then it really still is my word against his."

"I wouldn't quite say that." Based on her reaction, her shocked expression, that was certainly news to her. "I haven't had the time to really go through it, I've only just started compiling it. But the pains that the criminals your father helped capture would have to have come from injuries he had to have experienced. But there were too many to imagine he wouldn't be impeded while on patrol. So where did those injuries _go _? If I can find that link, then I have the key to unlocking this whole thing."

The girl looked at her lap again, silent, but she no longer looked dejected as she had moments before. Instead she was bewildered. Maybe even a glimmer of wild hope.

But before either of them could say anything further, a ball flew in from out of nowhere and slammed into the teenager's face. Mic attempted to check if she was okay, but she shied away from him.

But then his heart dropped. Eri was running towards them! She was already apologizing as she reached them. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was playing and I didn't mean to kick it so hard and it didn't go where I wanted it to and it went this way and I didn't mean to hit you are you okay?"

Hibiki responded before he could. Surprisingly, her voice was soft and reassuring. "I'm fine. If you didn't mean it, I'm not mad at all. I'm not hurt. See?"

She got off of the bench and knelt down on the ground so that the small girl could better see. The teen put the back of her hand to her nose and pulled it away to show she wasn't bleeding. Shouta came as Eri was getting her ball back. Hizashi was torn. As much as he honestly didn't think the teenager would be a danger, his daughter wasn't someone he wanted to take that kind of chance. However, if he stepped in now, he might lose Hibiki entirely at such a crucial moment in the investigation, but more importantly in her development. If he failed here, there was a good chance that she wouldn't find another adult to trust who actually had her best interests at heart. This was a very fine line. The best course of action to preserve both concerns would have to be to trust that Hibiki wouldn't endanger a child, but be very prepared in case the situation turned. He would like to give the teen the best chance he could, but if things went south, he had other priorities. Hizashi shared a look with his husband to wait, but cautiously observe.

Hibiki had shifted a little away from the bench and spoke to Eri in a low voice, clearly wanting to have a private conversation. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to be able to eavesdrop without being obvious about it. But as he watched, Hibiki's expression had drastically changed once more. This time it was more serious and she kept stealing glances at Aizawa and looked at him so coldly that for the first time, Mic felt like there might actually be danger involved. But it seemed her anger always softened when it returned to Eri. The presence of the small child was keeping things from boiling over.

Yamada realized why. Apparently while she was playing, one of Eri's sleeves, normally buttoned up at the wrist to keep it in place, had come undone, showing the scars she had on her forearm. The poor thing had gone through a lot when she was the Yakuza's captive and was still struggling with self-image issues because of them. They had been working on it as a family, but these things don't go away overnight. So for now, she chose to keep them hidden.

The teenager must have noticed this and that must be what they were talking about. Then, before his eyes, she began to roll up one of her own sleeves to the elbow. There must have been dozens of scars in just that one section. Mic knew she had a lot from the rare glimpses he caught before and based on the ones on her face, but he never anticipated this. So many scars and of different types as well, but they were hard to discern since they often overlapped each other. Everyone was silent, though it seemed that Eri had become more stoic as she was encouraged by the teen to touch, running her small hands over the marred, rough skin sympathetically.

The girls were still speaking frustratingly quiet, but then his daughter's eyes widened and she exclaimed something he _could _hear.

"No! He didn't make these! He saved me from the villains who did this to me! He's my _hero _!" That outburst made Hibiki stiffen and go still, watching as Eri ran back to Shouta to give him a hug for emphasis.

It went downhill from there. Hibiki managed a few apologies, but was growing increasingly agitated. It seems that seeing the result of the successful rescue she should have had years earlier, the one she had been denied all this time finally caught up with her and overwhelmed her. Hyperventilating, she stood. Panicked.

"I'm-I'm sorry, I have to go." She turned tail and ran. Eraser started to move as if to give chase, but Hizashi put a hand up to stop him. No, that would make this worse.

Both men finally let out all the tension they had been holding. Aizawa sat down on the bench next to his husband. "That was too close."

Eri however, looked a bit upset. "I didn't mess it up, did I?"

"No, no, no. You did fine sweety." To reinforce this, Hizashi pulled his daughter into his lap where she embraced him into a deep hug. Her horn, as small as it was nowadays, dug into his chin a little bit, but he was more than used to that and he barely noticed.

"Hey Shou, why don't you text Toshinori to let him know we're all done here?"

"Already did."

The blond then felt his phone vibrating so he attempted to shift Eri to get it. She got the hint and hopped off to relocate to Aizawa's lap instead.

He got to the phone just in time. "Hello?"

"I'm sorry, I hope you're not mad at me." Hibiki's voice was out of breath. No surprise since she'd been running.

"Of course not! Why would I be mad?"

"Because I ran off." She was definitely acting more like a scared child than she had in any of their interactions before.

"Shhh shhhh. Just breathe. We got through a lot today. You were very brave to say as much as you did. You know that right? I'm not giving up on you. We can figure out another time to meet if you want?"

"No! I mean… I don't know if I can do another meeting."

"That's fine. We can set up times we can call, or you can even text me any time you want. I may not respond right away, but I _will _respond. Is that okay with you?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Okay. Stay safe."

"Thank you, Mr. Mic. Bye." And she hung up before he could say it back.

Hizashi sighed once more and turned back to his family. At some point, Eri must have returned to the playground, but his husband remained on the bench. He likely told her to go play for privacy reasons.

"Sorry about that Shou. That all kicked off so fast. I'd never seen Hibiki look at anyone that way before. I was preparing to get between you two. We're not doing this again, but she hasn't run away from _me _yet. Just this situation for now."

Aizawa nodded solemnly. "How much of their conversation did you hear?"

"Not much, but what Eri said at the end clued me in enough to get the gist."

There was a brief pause as they watched their daughter on a swing. Shouta scooted closer to his husband so that they were up against each other.

"I think I get it now, Hizashi," he managed.

"Hm?"

"The case. She reminds you of Eri, doesn't she? At least in some ways."

The blond rested his head against his husband's shoulder. "Yeah… I guess she does."

"I don't think I'll be able to walk away now, either. Especially now that I've seen her for myself."

"The case has bitten you too?"

"I'm starting to think it's contagious."

"Maybe. I just hope we can actually _help _her."


End file.
